
aass__^: 



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Book 



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SARATOGA 



THE BATTLE-RATTLE GROUiND-VISITORS' GUIDE 



WITH MAPS 



BY 



ELLEN HARDIN WALWORTH 



PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN NEWS COMPANY 



NEW YORK CITY 



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PRICE .AsVlM II 1 I 'l' D CENTS. 




ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



While consulting authorities and obtaining material for the historical 
part of this little work, I found myself under many pleasant obligations 
for various kindnesses. I am indebted to Mrs. Allen for the use of 
papers, maps and books of her husband, the late R. L. Allen, M. D-., of 
Saratoga Springs; to N. B. Sylvester, Esq., for suggestions and quota- 
tions taken from his book, " Northern New York and the Adirondack 
Wilderness;" to Mr. John Austin Stevens, for valuable advice and assist- 
ance, and to l^r. E. B. O'Callaghan; to Mr. Arthur Bott, of Albany, for 
the use of his unpublished paper, " The Hessians in America;" to Mr. W. 
L. Stone, for his translation of Madame Reidesel's memoirs; and to my 
daughter, Ellen H. Walworth, for the skill and accuracy with whicli she 
has perfected my crude designs for the military map of the Third Period 
of Burgoyne's campaign, and the map of Drives in the vicinity of Sara- 
toga Springs. 

E. H. W. 



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_>' 



SARATOGA 



THE BATTLE-BATTLE GROUND-VISITORS' GUIDE 



WITH MAPS 



BY 



ELLEN HARDIN WALWORTH 



PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN NEWS COMPANY 



NEW YORK CITY 






67650 



Copyright^ 1S77, by Elle:i Hardin M'alworth. 



THE BATTLE OF SARATOGA 

BURGOYNE AND THE NORTHERN CAMPAIGN, 177/ 

BY 
ELLEN HARDIN WALWORTH 

Reprinted from the Magazine of American History for May 

THE Campaign of Burgoyne, with its attendant circumstances, has 
had so much light thrown upon it by skillful writers that its 
review at the present time may seem unnecessary — even pre- 
sumptuous. Yet, as artists of greater or less capacity are encouraged 
to repeat a theme, made familiar by the works of great masters, so, per- 
haps, may be justified this attempt to portray again the great historical 
drama that opened so exultingly in June, 1777, near the banks of the St. 
Lawrence river, and terminated amid so many tragic elements in Octo- 
ber of the same year, on the banks of the Hudson. 

Few important events have occurred in the history of the world, 
which, in unity of purpose and culminating interest, are more intensely 
dramatic ; and few have occupied so vast a theatre. For its northern 
boundary we must enter Canada at the Three Rivers, where the British 
and German winter encampment was deserted ; on the west we find the 
famous carrying place of the Indians between the head waters of the 
Oswego and the Mohawk, where stood Fort Stanwix, an important 
point in the action; on the east were the Hampshire Grants, just mould- 
ing themselves into an organized government, where the British met 
their first repulse ; and toward the south, in the Jerseys, those momentous 
manoeuvres took place that formed a huge side-play to the stirring 
events further northward ; the main armies there were but holding each 
other in check, while the over-confident English forces from Canada 
poured through that unhinged gateway of the north, Ticonderoga, and 
swept on southward to meet their final fate in the picturesque region of 
Old Saratoga. 

We, of the present time, can easily picture to ourselves the magnifi- 
cent stage on which these events took place ; we, who so often traverse 
this region by land and water ; passing through the lovely valley of the 



4 BATTLE OF SARATOGA 

Mohawk from Albany to Lake Ontario ; thence skirting the great north- 
ern wilderness, as we sweep around it by water into the borders of Can- 
ada, and from there returning through the grand river-like Lake Cham- 
plain to Whitehall, the old Skenesborough. Again we pass over fair 
hills, and by the historic Wood Creek to Fort Edward, and thence by 
romantic carriage rides, or on the lazy canal, to the mouths of the Mo- 
hawk, and to Albany again. Hence, resting on the tranquil waters of the 
broad Hudson, our sumptuous boat is soon borne onward past the High- 
lands, past the fire-ravaged town of Kingston ; and lower down, where 
we look for the sites of Forts Montgomery and Clinton, and where Put- 
nam stood guard at Peekskill. We are stirred by memories of the anxie- 
ties, the hopes, the fluctuations of despair and joy that swayed our 
countrymen of that time ; and we are not unmindful of the agony of 
longing with which the ambitious Burgoyne listened for one sound of 
victory, or of hearty cooperation from this region, while he clung to his 
last foothold before the victorious army of the Patriots. Landing at 
New York, our imagination still filled with these visions of the past, we 
naturally turn to the western shores of the bay ; there the names that 
float so vaguely in our mmds — Morristown, Middlebrook, Quibbletown, 
and Brunswick— seem suddenly vivified, and resolve themselves into a 
hieroglyphic that reads: " Remember Washington ! " It was his grasp 
of large events, his steadfastness of purpose, and his firm directing rein, 
that brought mto harmony and effect the conflicting and seemingly 
inefficient forces that made the closing scene of this spectacle a triumph 
that astonished the world. 

The importance of this triumph upon the fortunes of the American 
struggle for Independence is undisputed. The Battle of Saratoga is 
declared upon high authority to be one of the fifteen decisive battles of 
the world. The reactionary feeling it called forth in the Colonies, after 
the disasters and anxieties of the campaign of the previous year in Can- 
ada, strengthened public sentiment in favor of the patriotic cause, and 
filled the depleted ranks of the army. It led directly to the indispensa- 
ble assistance received from France, and thus to the later recognition of 
other foreign Governments. As in the last French and English war, 
the campaign of 1759, which embraced the rocky heights of Quebec, 
the great water line of New York, and the western posts on the great 
lakes, was the decisive campaign ; so by this one of 1777, similar in 
construction, it was proposed by the English King and his American 
Minister, Lord Germaine, to divide and crush the Colonies, and ter- 
minate the war. 



BATTLE OF SARATOGA 5 

General Burgoyne, who had witnessed the battle of Bunker Hill, 
and had watched with critical judgment the cautious movements of Sir 
Guy Carleton during the year 1776, had in the latter part of that year 
returned to England and held long consultations with the King and 
Germaine. Burgoyne brought his military knowledge and experience, 
and his brilliant intellectual powers into play in depicting to them the 
wisdom and efficiency of Amherst's campaign of 1759. May he not also 
have held in his fervid imagination some picture of himself in the near 
future receiving such honors as had been awarded to Amherst ? We 
know the result of those consultations ; how a definite and explicit plan 
was formed in England by which every particular in regard to the move- 
ment of troops in Canada was specified, even to the number that should 
garrison each successive post; how Sir Guy Carleton was ignored, and 
ordered to hand over the army of invasion to General Burgoyne ; and 
how, upon leaving the Canadian boundaries, that army was to be wholly 
independent of Carleton. Orders were also forwarded to Sir William 
Howe, at New York, to cooperate with this enterprise by proceeding 
up the Hudson river to join Burgoyne at Albany. These orders do not 
appear to have been so peremptory as those which were to control the 
northern division of the army ; at least Lord Howe interpreted them 
very freely. He not only sailed south, toward Philadelphia, with the 
main army, while Burgoyne was pushing toward him from the north, but 
he left Sir Henry Clinton at New York with purely discretionary pow- 
ers in regard to such cooperation. 

It was also arranged by Lord Germaine that an expedition should be 
sent to Fort Stanwix by way of Lake Ontario, which should make its 
way thence through the Mohawk valley to Albany ; and St. Leger was 
designated as the proper person for its command. The New England 
Colonies were also to be threatened with invasion ; upon this order Gen- 
eral Burgoyne based very strongly his defense, before the Parliamentary 
Committee, of his disastrous movement upon Bennington. 

It is thus seen that the culmmation of this grand scheme was directed 
against the very heart — the vital existence of the great province of New 
York, even then the most important, the most vigorous of those thirteen 
young giants who stood so sullenly, defiantly, and yet reluctantly at bay 
to receive the blow that would decide whether they should submit to 
the unreasonable demands of a tyrannical parent, or remain free for the 
development of a full manhood. 

When Burgoyne arrived at Quebec, in May, he found Carleton ready 
to aid him with alacrity, and in a very short time the troops that had 



6 BATTLE OF SARATOGA 

been in winter quarters and the newly arrived reinforcements — the Ca- 
nadian Provincials and the Indian allies — were in readiness for a forward 
movement. Burgoyne ordered the sick and the baggage to be left at 
Three Rivers, and the whole army to concentrate at St. Johns. This 
was accomplished by the 12th of June, and here, on that day, around a* 
sumptuous dinner, sat Sir Guy Carleton, Generals Burg03^ne, Riedesel, 
Phillips, Frazer and other officers of rank. While still at the table a 
message was brought informing General Riedesel of the long anticipated 
arrival of his wife, the Baroness, at Quebec, and announcing to General 
Carleton the approach of reinforcements for the army in Canada. Hearty 
congratulations were exchanged, the wine flowed freely, and amid great 
hilarity and exultation General Carleton took leave of the army of inva- 
sion. A brilliant scene was presented by this trained and disciplined 
army of two nations, equipped with all that power, wealth and genius 
could devise and procure, and accompanied by artillery unparalleled at 
that time for efficiency and splendor. As the guns roared out their 
farewell salute, and the different corps moved back and forth in their 
preparations to embark, the earth shook as though she would hasten 
their departure ; and as they floated towards the great Lake its waters 
quivered under the light of a hazy mystery that seemed to entice them on 
to unimagined glories. What wonder if the poet-soul of Burgoyne 
reveled in enchanting fancies that clothed the end in brightness. We 
have been accustomed to think of him in disgrace, as he yielded his 
sword to his victorious enemy — or to dwell on his pompous proclama- 
tions, his grandiose follies. Another view may be taken of this hero of 
misfortunes. He made undoubted and serious sacrifices in an attempt to 
control and humanize his savage allies ; his high sense of honor cannot 
be questioned ; his calmness and discretion under unjust public oppro- 
brium and censure are worthy of admiration and imitation. The bril- 
liancy of his hope, the persistency of his efforts to accomplish the de- 
sired end, his unflinching assumption of entire responsibility, and the 
quiet dignity with which final disaster was faced and borne, render him 
one of the most picturesque and pathetic objects that fill for a moment 
the kaleidoscope of our revolutionary epoch. 

We have a graphic description of Burgoyne's army on Lake Cham- 
plain, given by Anburey, a young officer who accompanied the expedi- 
tion, in one of his delightful letters to a friend. " Let me just relate," 
writes he, " in what manner the army passed up the lake, which was by 
brigades, generally advancing from seventeen to twenty miles a day, and 
regulated in such a manner that the second Brigade should take the 



BATTLE OF SARATOGA 7 

place of the first, and so on successively, for each Brigade to fill the 
ground the other quitted ; the time of departure was always day- 
break." 

In another letter he writes : " I cannot forbear portraying to your 
imagination one of the most pleasing spectacles I ever beheld. When 
we were in the widest part of the lake, whose beauty and extent I have 
already described, it was remarkably fine and clear, not a breeze was 
stirring, when the whole army appeared at one view in such perfect 
regularity as to form the most complete and splendid regatta you can 
possibly conceive. In the front the Indians went with their birch-bark 
canoes, containing twenty or thirty each ; then the advanced corps in 
regular line with the gun-boats, then followed the Royal George and 
Inflexible, towing large booms — which are to be thrown across two points 
of land — with the two brigs and sloops following ; after them Generals 
Burgoyne, Phillips and Riedesel in their pinnaces ; next to them the 
second Battalion, followed by the German Battalion ; and the rear was 
brought up with the sutlers and followers of the army. Upon the ap- 
pearance of so formidable a fleet you may imagine they were not a little 
dismayed at Ticonderoga, for they were apprised of our advance, as 
we every day could see their watch-boats." 

While the main army from Canada was thus advancing towards 
Crown Point and Ticonderoga, St. Leger, with nearly a thousand men, 
regulars and Canadians, and Sir John Johnson with the Royal Greens, 
whose homes all lay in the beautiful valley they now wished to ravish 
and conquer, moved up the St. Lawrence and through Lakes Ontario 
and Oneida into Wood Creek, by which to approach Fort Stan- 
Avix or Schuyler. This fort was garrisoned by seven hundred and fifty 
Continental troops, and was under the command of the brave Colonel 
Gansevoort. 

Early in the year 1777 General Philip Schuyler, commanding the 
northern division of the Continental Army, had been actively engaged 
in preparations for the summer campaign m his Department. At that 
time he had informed General Washington that it would be necessary lor 
him to have ten thousand additional troops to garrison Fort Ticondero- 
ga and its adjacent defences, and two thousand for important points on 
the Mohawk. He was making arrangements, under the direction and 
with the assistance of Washington, to collect and provide for as large a 
portion of this force as possible, when, earl}^ in April, it became neces- 
sary for him to go to Philadelphia. This was in consequence of the in- 
trigues of his enemies, who had determined that he should relinquish the 



8 BATTLE OF SARATOGA 

command of the Northern Department. Congress had just before this 
sent General Gates to resume the command at Ticonderoga, and while 
General Schuyler was absent the control of the Department devolved 
upon Gates. 

General Schuyler, as second ofhcer in rank in the Continental Army, 
commanded the defences of Philadelphia while in that city, and was 
energetically engaged in that capacity ; he was also a delegate to Con- 
gress from New York. About the last of May resolutions were passed 
in Congress affording him an entire vindication from all charges brought 
against him, and he was given " absolute command over every part of the 
Northern Department." 

On the 3d of June he arrived in Albany and resumed his command. 
During his absence little had been done to carry forward his plans of 
defence, or to increase the little army that garrisoned the widely 
separated posts of the command. The Mohawk valley, always an 
object of especial care and solicitude to Schuyler, had been wholly 
neglected. 

Upon his arrival in Albany he immediately wrote to General Herki- 
mer to hold the militia of Tryon county in readiness to repel any attack 
from the west ; and he renewed his efforts to quiet and conciliate the 
Indians of the Six Nations, with whom he had great influence. 

He was soon informed of the movements of Burgoyne. His first 
impression was that Burgoyne would only make a feint upon Ticonde- 
roga, while his main army would march from St. Johns toward the 
Connecticut river, and make an attempt upon the New England States, 
who might receive a simultaneous attack on the sea coast from Lord 
Howe. He gave no time to idle surmises, however, but hurried to 
Ticonderoga to inspect its defenses. The additional works, projected at 
Mount Independence, opposite Ticonderoga, were incomplete for want 
of troops and artizans. Schuyler, therefore, went to Lake George, 
whence he forwarded workmen and provisions to Fort Independence. 
and then returned to Albany, to hurry forward reinforcements that were 
hourly expected from Peekskill. 

Hearing at this time of Burgoyne's certain and speedy approach 
toward Ticonderoga, he wrote most urgently to the Governor of Con- 
necticut, the President of the Council of Massachusetts, and the various 
Committees of Safety, and to Washington, informing them of the im- 
pending danger, and asking for assistance. He also used every exertion 
possible to collect the militia of New York, with which he might 
advance at once to aid St. Clair, whom he had placed in command of 



BATTLE or SARATOGA 



Fort Ticonderoga. General Gates had refused to remain in the Depart- 
ment after Schuyler's return, and had obtained a leave to return to 
Philadelphia. 

Schuyler's appeal for reinforcements met with a languid response. 
Washington alone seemed to understand the urgency of his need, and 
he could do little to augment Schuyler's insignificant army. He, how- 
ever, appealed also to the New England States, urging upon them the 
danger to their own boundaries if Burgoyne should gain any foothold 
in the Northern Department. He also ordered Putnam at Peekskill to 
reinforce Schuyler with four Massachusetts regiments. 

At this time the main army under Washington consisted of but 
seven thousand five hundred men, many of them militia, whose terms of 
service would soon expire. With this small force, Washington, from 
the heights at Middlebrook, watched and baffled the movements of Lord 
Howe,''whose army, assembled at Brunswick, " had not its equal in the 

world." 

Howe's main object was to entice Washington into a general engage- 
ment, in which the British would have greatly the advantage. Such a 
victory would not only insure possession of Philadelphia, the principal 
aim of Howe's campaign, but would enable him to cooperate with Bur- 
goyne, which he was willing to do, if such a movement could be made 
conformable to his own plans. 

Washington was greatly perplexed, and in much anxiety from his 
inability to solve the designs of Howe. Yet, with undisturbed self-pos- 
session, he continued to hold the shifting army of the enemy in check 
It had advanced and retreated ; advanced again, and had endeavored to 
outflank him ; but finally, by his untiring vigilance, his inflexible adhe- 
rence to his original purpose of maintaining his strong position on the 
heights, and by the harrassments to which he subjected the ease-loving 
Lord Howe, he compelled that commander on the 30th of June to evac- 
ate the Jerseys with his whole army. 

Washington had written to Schuyler : " If I can keep General Howe 
below the Highlands, I think their schemes will be entirely baffled." 
Even when Howe was known to have sailed southward, Washington 
surmised that it might be a feint to draw him toward Philadelphia, when 
Howe would return and ascend the Hudson. 

It is evident that the situation of the Northern Department con- 
stantly occupied the attention of the Commander-in-Chief. When he 
was assured that Howe was in the capes of the Delaware, and there was 
no further doubt that Philadelphia was the point of attack, although 



lO BATTLE OF SARATOGA 

himself in great need of troops and efficient officers, he parted with 
Morgan's Corps of five hundred picked men, and sent Arnold, of whose 
abilities as a General he entertained a high opinion, to assist the Army 
of the North. He also directed General Lincoln, then in New England, 
to repair to Schuyler's command, and advised that he should attempt a 
ffank movement upon Burgoyne toward the east. He also addressed 
circulars to the Brigadier-Generals of INIilitia in Western Massachusetts 
and Connecticut, urging them to march with a large part of their com- 
mand to Saratoga, or other rendezvous designated by General Schuy- 
ler. To the latter he wrote, warning him against collecting large quan- 
tities of ammunition and other stores in forts and lines of defense. " I 
begin to consider lines," he writes, " a kind of trap, unless they are in 
passes which cannot be avoided by the enemy." 

We will see how the imperfect lines of defense at Ticbnderoga came 
near being "a trap," in which St. Clair and his little army of thi^ee 
thousand men would have been captured but for the prompt and well- 
considered plan of retreat adopted by St. Clair. If this retreat was in 
some particulars disastrous, this misfortune should not reflect upon the 
commander, but on the subordinates, who, through negligence and 
ofBciousness, marred his plan, and upon the ill fortune that sometimes 
attends the best laid schemes. 

The importance attached to the occupation of Ticonderoga appears 
to have been traditionar)% and without sufficient foundation. Being 
considered of such importance, there seems to have been strange neglect 
and want of foresight in the various officers who succeeded each other 
in its command. The scattering and imperfect defenses were extended 
over more than two miles. Sugar Hill, " the key of the position," was 
not occupied. There had been repeated discussions among the officers 
as to the feasibility of fortifying this commanding point. Colonel Trum- 
bull, and Generals Wayne and Arnold had climbed the hill, which was 
difficult of ascent, to satisfy themselves that a battery could be placed 
upon it. Major Stevens, the energetic officer who commanded the 
artillery at Ticonderoga, and later all the artillery in the northern de- 
partment, had proved by a practical experiment with one of his guns 
that it should be occupied. 

Washington, upon a report of the defenses in the Northern Depart- 
ment, had condemned Fort Independence, on the opposite shore of the 
Lake, as entirely useless for the purpose of checking an enemy's pro- 
gress toward the south, as it did not command the road to Lake George. 
Yet Wayne, Gates, Schuyler, and St. Clair were equally agreed in con- 



BATTLE OF SARATOGA II 

sidering it necessary to hold Ticonderoga and strengthen Mount Inde- 
pendence, and were equally negligent in leaving Sugar Hill exposed to 
the adversary. The scantiness of the garrison, the contentions among 
its commanders, and the final unexpected rapidity of Burgoyne's ad- 
vance, may partly explain the apparent want of sound militar}^ judg- 
ment that caused this fortress to fall like ripe fruit into the hands of the 
invader. 

An old entrenchment on the road to Lake Georare was also neerlected 
by the Americans ; and when Burgoyne made his appearance before 
Ticonderoga on the 4th of July, this position was immediately seized 
upon by General Frazer, and named Mount Hope, as significant of 
future success. 

Burgoyne had lingered a few days at Crown Point, and there on the 
30th of June he issued the famous order, containing these words: 
" This army must not retreat^ On the following morning he moved for- 
ward in battle array. ' Tbe German battalions formed the left wing, and 
advanced on the east side of the lake until they camped in front of Mount 
Independence. General Frazer led the right wing on the west side, and 
the floating batteries moved in unison between. On the 4th of July, 
when Frazer had occupied Mount Hope, General Phillips took posses- 
sion of the mills at the outlet of Lake George, and on the same day sent 
Lieutenant Twiss to reconnoitre Sugar Hill. Satisfied from his report 
that a battery could be placed upon it, he only waited for darkness to 
carry out his design. The guns were then hoisted from tree to tree 
with heavy ropes, and, writes Anburey, " General Phillips urged the 
work forward with the same vehemence with which he drove his artil- 
lery at the battle of Minden, when he is said to have broken fifteen canes 
over the horses." 

On the morning of July 5th St. Clair awoke to see, in the early dawn, 
the red-coats busy on the summit of Sugar Hill, planting a battery seven 
hundred feet above him, from which point they could observe every 
movement within the fort. He recognized the danger, and immediately 
called a council of officers. They unanimously agreed that the evacua- 
tion of Forts Ticonderoga and Independence was imperative, or a sur- 
render would soon be inevitable. 

St. Clair, quietly and expeditiously, made arrangements to begin the 
retreat on the same night. The troops were permitted to believe that a 
sortie was intended, and firing was continued through the day to deceive 
the enemy. Above the floating bridge that connected the forts a boom 
had been placed to obstruct the navigation of the lake. It was sup- 



12 BATTLE OF SARATOGA 

posed that this would delay the British gunboats, so that the American 
batteaux might reach Skenesborough in safety. As soon as darkness 
rendered it discreet, the wounded and women, together with the stores 
and ammunition, were embarked on two hundred of these batteau* 
They were escorted by five armed galleys and six hundred men, under 
the command of Colonel Long. It was a bright moonlight night, but 
they got under way in safety ; as they proceeded leisurely up the lake, 
they indulged in much merriment and exultation over their quiet and 
expeditious escape. 

St. Clair, with the main body of the troops, also passed safely and 
undiscovered over the floating bridge, where they were joined by the 
garrison from Mount Independence. All were under full retreat, when, 
most unfortunately, the house that had been occupied as head-quarters 
by General de Fertnois, who commanded Independence, was fired, and the 
brilliant flames lighted up the entire columns of the retreating forces. 
The British sentinels immediately gave the alarm. By day-break the 
British flag floated over both forts, and in a few hours General Frazer 
Avas in close pursuit of the Americans. 

On the morning of the 7th Frazer's Indian scouts came upon the rear 
guard of St. Clair's army, under Colonels Warner and Francis, at Hub- 
bardton. General Frazer made an mipetuous attack, which Warner 
resisted with great spirit. He was nobly seconded by Colonel Francis, 
who three times charged the enemy at the head of his regiment. On 
one of these occasions his men came into action singing the hymns 
familiar to them in their village churches. This induced the British to 
believe that reinforcements had arrived ; they were yielding ground 
when General Riedesel, who had been awaiting the arrival of his grena- 
diers for two hours with great impatience, now brought them forward 
with colors flying, while they sang the resonant battle hymns of the 
Germans. Under the first onslaught with their bayonets. Colonel 
Francis fell, fatally wounded, and the exhausted Americans were com- 
pelled to leave the field. They had crippled the enemy sufficiently to check 
further pursuit, and had caused them heavy losses of men and officers. 
Among the wounded was Major Ackland, whose painful walk after- 
wards down the steep, wooded hill, upon which the battle was fought, 
is touchingly related by the officer who assisted him. It was in conse- 
quence of this wound that Lady Ackland shortly afterward joined him 
at Skenesborough. 

While the contest was in progress at Hubbardton, St. Clair ordered 
Colonel Hale with his regiment to reinforce Warner and Francis. Hale 



BATTLE OF SARATOGA I3 

disobeyed orders, and with his men was soon afterwards captured by the 
enemy. St. Clair, hearing now that Burgoyne had possession of Skenes- 
borough, pushed into the woods eastward, and made a circuitous route 
to Fort Edward, where he arrived on the 12th. 

The batteau of the American flotilla from Ticonderoga, had just 
touched at Skenesborough, when heavy firing was heard in their rear. 
The British had speedily disposed of the obstructing boom and follow- 
ed the flotilla up the lake. The Americans, confused and panic-stricken, 
abandoned all the stores they had brought with so much care, and fled 
towards Fort Anne. Before leaving they set fire to the houses, mills and 
other buildings at Skenesborough ; the flames spread into the pine for- 
ests, on the surrounding hills, which, as the British approached, present- 
ed a scene of unsurpassed grandeur and desolation. 

The retreating force separated, one party making its way through 
Wood Creek, and the remainder, under Colonel Long, pushing through 
the woods to Fort Anne, where he determined to make a stand. When 
the British approached he returned to meet them, and posted his reg- 
iment on a narrow pathway near Wood Creek. As the British advanced 
he opened fire upon them, and shifting his troops from side to side of the 
creek, so harassed and confused them that they were forced to take refuge 
on a hill to the right. Here they were closely besieged for two hours. 
Several of their officers were wounded and carried into a log house 
whose walls were frequently penetrated by the American rifle balls; 
while lying there these officers commented with surprise upon the dar- 
ing and endurance of the rebels, whose courageous spirit they here en- 
countered for the first time. When Colonel Long's little band was upon 
the very verge of victory, there suddenly sounded through the forest, 
on every side, the terrible war-whoop of the savages as they advanced 
by hundreds to reinforce the British. The Americans hurriedly secured 
their prisoners, and taking their wounded, left the hill and continued 
their retreat to Fort Edward. 

During the first days of July, General Schuyler had waited in Albany, 
with great impatience, the arrival of reinforcements from the Highlands. 
On the 7th they had not arrived, and leaving orders for them to follow, 
he started north with the small force he had collected, about fifteen hun- 
dred men. At Stillwater he Avas met with the astounding intelligence 
that St. Clair had abandoned Forts Ticonderoga and Independence 
without striking a blow in their defense, and hurrying on to Fort Ed- 
ward he met Long-, who could cfive him no account of St. Clair and his 

111 

army. Fears were entertained that he had been overtaken and compelled 



14 BATTLE OF SARATOGA 

to surrender. After a mysterious disappearance of seven days, St. 
Clair joined Schuyler at Fort Edward, his men haggard and worn with 
their exhausting march, but safe and resolute for further service. 

These misfortunes in the beginning of the campaign involved a heavy 
loss of artillery, small arms, and stores of all kinds ; the consternation of 
the people who fled before Burgoyne seemed still more disastrous, and 
Schuyler's fortitude and composure were most severely tried. He was 
sustained and encouraged by constant despatches from Washington, who 
writes at one time, " We should never despair. If new difficulties arise 
we must only put forth new exertions," and again he expresses an earnest 
sympathy for Schuyler amid these thickening difficulties, and manifests 
his unwavering confidence in his ability to overcome them. With un- 
flagging energy Schuyler exerted himself to delay the enemy while en- 
deavoring to collect a sufficient force to meet him with some reasonable 
})rospect of success. 

Burgoyne now had his headquarters at the house of a noted loyalist, 
Colonel Skene ; the victories he anticipated appeared to fall into his 
hands as the natural result of his well laid schemes. The frightened 
patriots trembled at his approach, and Colonel Skene assured him that 
hundreds of loyalists were waiting for an opportunity to join his advanc- 
ing army. Skene was an old resident, a large land owner, and was sup- 
posed to exert an extended influence ; much weight was therefore attach- 
ed to his opinion. 

Burgoyne was greatly elated, and on the tenth of July ordered a 
Thanksgiving service to be read " at the head of the line, and at the 
head of the Advanced Corps, and at sun-set on the same day, a feu de 
joye to be fired with cannon and small arms at Ticonderoga, Crown 
Point, Skenesborough and Castleton." 

He had now reached the close of the " first period of this campaign," 
as he divided it in his " State of the Expedition," written after his return 
to England. These three divisions we may appropriately consider, from 
an artistic point of view, as the three acts in this great drama. The sec- 
ond one extended from this time to Burgoyne's passage across the Hud- 
son river, near the Batten Kill, on the thirteenth of September. 

General Schuyler remained at Fort Edward until he had effectually 
obstructed the pathway from Skenesborough, where Burgoyne now ling- 
ered. Huge stones were rolled into Wood Creek, and trees felled across 
it; bridges were destroyed, and the forests leveled aross the roads. The 
surrounding country was stripped of forage and the cattle driven off, so 
that the enemy would be compelled to rely upon his base of operations for 



BATTLE OF SARATOGA 1 5 

provisions ; this proved a serious obstacle to Burgoyne's advance. Hav- 
ing accomplished these purposes, Schuyler fell back to Fort Miller, on the 
east side of the river, and again paused to destroy the road over which 
he had just passed. He then retreated to Stillwater, and reinforcements 
coming in but slowly, he finally encamped his little army near the mouths 
of the- Mohawk, but maintained his headquarters at Stillwater. 

At Skenesborough Burgoyne first faced the difficulties of his position. 
His force was reduced in order to garrison the forts already taken, Carle- 
ton having refused to send troops for that purpose. In preparing to 
march through an unfamiliar wilderness, he found that the necessity of 
carrying provisions and dragging artillery, while engaged in cuttmg a 
passage and constructing roads, would seriously retard his progress. 
He was not discouraged, but pushed on vigorously. The troops suffer- 
ed greatly during their severe labors from the excessive heat and innum- 
erable insects. It was, therefore, with a feeling of intense relief that 
they arrived at Fort Edward on the thirteenth of July. Both officers 
and men were inspired with enthusiasm upon thus obtaining their first 
sight of the Hudson River, so long the object of their desires and 
hopes. 

Burgoyne remained here, and at Duer's House, not far distant, until 
September loth, his difficulties and perplexities constantly increasing. 
His requisition for horses and wagons, upon which his army was so de- 
pendent, had been imperfectly filled. It seemed impossible to accumu- 
late sufficient provisions for a long and rapid march. Instead of the 
friendly and helpful inhabitants who he imagined would flock to his 
quarters, there was absolute coldness on the part of the inhabitants, or the 
desolation of deserted homes. His Indian allies were insurbordinate and 
troublesome, and soon the murder of Jane McCrea by a party of these 
savages aroused and intensified the hostile feeling of the Colonists. His 
own humane and honorable sentiments were shocked and disgusted by 
this incident. It was impossible for him to dispense with the services of 
these wild creatures, from whom so much was expected by the Home 
Government. He satisfied himself by imposing stringent orders upon 
their movements. This created a general discontent, and they soon be- 
gan to desert him by hundreds. In the midst of these anxieties he re- 
ceived intelligence of the arrival of St. Leger before Fort Stanwix. 

According to his original plan, he must now move immediately down 
the river to cooperate with St. Leger, or at least make a diversion in his 
favor. An expedition was therefore proposed that, it was thought, 
would answer many important purposes. Burgoyne was informed by 



l6 BATTLE OF SARATOGA 

Colonel Skene that at Bennington the Americans had collected man}- 
horses, and large stores of every kind for the use of the northern army. 
Skene also reiterated his assurances concerning the loyalists, who 
would, by such a movement, secure the opportunity for which they 
waited to join the British army. So confident were the officers of the 
truth of these statements of Skene, that when the Americans of Stark's 
command came creeping around the flanks of the British at Benning- 
ton for their first attack, they were allowed to advance under the 
impression that they were loyalists, who thus sought access to the Brit- 
ish camp. This expedition was also intended to mislead Schuyler into 
the belief that New England was the object of Burgoyne's efforts. 

Colonel Baum was sent with a body of German grenadiers, English 
marksmen, Canadians and Indians, to make an attack upon Bennington, 
and secure the much needed horses and provisions. He set out on 
the 13th of August, and so eager was General Burgoyne in regard to 
the success of this enterprise that he rode after Baum to impress his 
orders upon him verbally. '' 

The people of Bennington were apprised of Baum's approach. It 
happened, fortunately, that General Stark had refused to leave his 
neighborhood and join General Schuyler at Stillwater, having recently 
received a slight from Congress, which seems indeed to have had a 
disposition to ignore or wound the most active officers of the Conti- 
nental Army. Stark immediately called out the militia, and rallied his 
brigade ; he also dispatched a message to General Lincoln, at Manches- 
ter, to forward reinforcements. On the morning of the 14th he marched 
out of Bennington. When about six miles on the road, he encountered 
the British, and a sharp skirmish took place, in which several of the 
enemy were killed and wounded. Baum now posted himself on a hill, 
and began to entrench his camp, while he sent a messenger to Burgoyne 
for reinforcements. A heavy rain prevented an engagement on the fif- 
teenth, but there was constant skirmishing. The New Englanders, now 
thoroughly aroused to the danger of invasion, flocked hurriedly and in 
large numbers to the American camp. 

On the morning of the i6th a bright sun dispersed all threatening 
clouds, and Stark, although without artillery or bayonets, prepared to 
attack Baum in his entrenchments. He sent a detachment to the rear 
of the enemy's left, and another to the rear of his right. Simulta- 
neously with the attack from these divisions. Stark, at the head of his 
column, exclaimed : " There are the red-coats ; before night they must 
be ours, or Molly Stark 's a widow," and rushed upon the entrenchments 



BATTLE OF SARATOGA \J 

with impetuous fury. The Germans defended their works steadily and 
bravely, but the Canadians and Indians were soon driven in upon them ; 
and the Americans, pressing- up to the ver}^ mouth of the cannon, con- 
tinued the contest with a frenzied determination. They captured the 
guns, and forced the Provincials and Indians to retreat precipitously. 
The Germans had now exhausted their ammunition ; they resorted to 
their bayonets and broad-swords, and attempted a retreat through the 
woods. The Americans pursued hotly ; many of the enemy were killed 
and wounded, among the former Colonel Baum. All who survived were 
taken prisoners. 

At this critical moment Colonel Breyman came upon the ground 
with his Germans, and renewed the attack upon Stai*k's exhausted 
forces. Colonel Warner now arrived from Bennington with his regi- 
ment, fresh and vigorous. It was late in the afternoon when this sec- 
ond action began ; it was continued until dark, the enemy retreating 
slowly, and making a stand from place to place. Stark followed up 
his victory as long as there was a ray of light to expose the enemy. 
" Another hour of daylight, and he would have captured the whole 
body." Breyman continued his retreat under cover of the night, leaving 
his baggage and artillery in the hands of the Americans. 

This victory, so complete and inspiriting to the Americans, was 
equally disastrous and disheartening to the British. Like the glori- 
ous sunshine of that summer day, it ripened the growing fruit of pa- 
triotism in the hearts of the colonists ; and like the dreary night that 
followed it, shadowed the despondency of the English, and made 
darker the forebodings that began to cluster around the anxious heart 
of Burgoyne. Its practical results were an acquisition of one thousand 
stand of arms, and many field-pieces. Nearly six hundred privates and 
thirty-two officers were made prisoners of war. 

In the meantime, on the 3d of August, St. Leger had appeared before 
Fort Stanwix and demanded its surrender. Colonel Gansevoort pay- 
ing no attention to this summons, St. Leger began to fortify his 
camp, and bring forward his artillery through Wood Creek, preparatory 
to a regular siege. He also sent detachments in various directions to 
cut off the garrison from the surrounding country. 

General Herkimer, acting under Schuyler's orders, was advancing to 
the relief of Colonel Gansevoort ; he sent messengers to apprise that 
commander of his approach, and directed that signal guns should be fired 
upon the arrival of the men in the fort ; a sortie was to be made at the 
same time, and under this diversion he would hasten forward. The mes- 



l3 BATTLE OF SARATOGA 

sengers were delayed many hours on the road, and the officers under 
Herkimer became impatient for an advance, Herkimer urged the neces- 
sity of waiting for the preconcerted signal, but in vain ; the officers 
continued their unreasonable appeals, and finally taunting him with cow- 
ardise or disloyalty, impelled him to a movement that his judgment did 
not approve. 

Brant, who led the Indians under St. Leger, was informed by his sis- 
ter of Herkimer's approach. An ambuscade was planned. While 
Herkimer's van-guard was crossing a ravine on a narrow causway, 
near Oriskany, the concealed Indians suddenly assailed them on 
either side, and a desperate contest ensued. It lasted several hours, the 
Americans defending themselves with resolute bravery, and the Indians 
killing the wounded and prisoners like veritable demons of the forest. 
Herkimer was seriously wounded, but had himself propped against a 
tree and continued to give his orders and urge on his troops. British 
regulars were brought on the field, who repeatedly charged with the bay- 
onet, but were steadily repulsed. 

A heavy rain checked the contest, but it was soon renewed more des- 
perately than ever, and became one of the most terrific hand to hand 
fights of the war. Johnson's Royal Greens found opportunity to gratify 
many long-cherished animosities, as their opponents were their old neigh- 
bors of the Valley, and the Indians were excited to unusual ferocity. 
These last were finally driven back, and fled, and their supporters hearing 
firing in their rear returned to their camp. 

While this contest was in progress, the messengers had reached Gan- 
sevoort, who ordered a sortie upon the enemy's camp. This was suc- 
cessful, and the whole camp equipage and stores of the Loyalists were 
secured and brought into the fort. 

Congress had just adopted the Stars and Stripes as the National 
ensign. 

One of the officers at Fort Stanwix now made an American flag of a 
white shirt and some bits of red cloth ; the blue field was made of an over- 
coat belonging to Captain Swartout of Dutchess County. This uncouth 
emblem was the first American flag that waved over a British standard ; 
the colors just captured at the British camp being placed in this ignoble 
position. 

St. Leger now caused exaggerated accounts of the American losses 
at Oriskany to be sent into the fort, and again demanded a surrender. 
Gansevoort again treated the summons with contempt, when St. Leger 
pressed the seige and advanced his lines. 



BATTLE OF SARATOGA 1 9 

On the tenth two officers were dispatched by Gansevoort to make 
their way through the hnes, and obtain assistance from Schuyler. At 
great risk, and after enduring many hardships, they reached Stillwater. 
Schuyler wished to respond immediately to this demand, but many of 
his officers objected ; they urged the imprudence of lessening the force 
with which Burgoyne's army must be met. Schuyler felt justly indig- 
nant with this selfish disregard of the critical situation of the heroic 
Gansevoort. He assumed the entire responsibility of forwarding a de- 
tachment, and Arnold volunteered his services for its command. Hs 
was soon in the valley of the Mohawk with eight hundred men ; his 
progress was not rapid enough to satisfy his impatient spirit, which reach- 
ed forward in eager devices to foil the enemy, and encourage the be- 
sieged. He dispatched messengers to Gansevoort, assuring him of 
relief, and with great adroitness caused rumors of the advance of a 
large force to be circulated in St. Leger's camp. These rumors were 
repeated and exaggerated, until the Indian allies became alarmed and 
ungovernable. They seized upon the blankets and other effects of the 
British officers, and commenced a hasty retreat. St. Leger, believing 
the Arhericans were close upon him, left his camp, and followed his 
retreating allies, abandoning his guns and baggage to the exultant patri- 
ots, who were now relieved of all apprehension. Arnold was forty miles 
from Stanwix at this tmie, and upon hearing of the ignominious flight 
of the British, retraced his steps to join the army under Schuyler. 

This army was rapidly increasing; the long expected regiments 
from the Highlands had arrived ; the New York Militia had rallied 
nobly ; and the New Englanders, excited by the victory at Bennington, 
were on their way to the camp with their jubilant brigades; Arnold, 
with an aumented division, was approaching. The country was buoy- 
ant with hope, an exaggerated reaction after the depression of the early 
summer. Schuyler was at last in a position to begin offensive operations ; 
he might now see the development of his well laid schemes ; he would 
soon be able to point exultantly to the result of his toil, his patience, to the 
unappreciated difficulties now conquered. Such we may imagine General 
Schuyler's thoughts, as he sprang on his horse one bright morning in 
August, at the door of his stately mansion in Albany, when about to 
meet his officers for a consultation in regard to an advance movement 
of his army. As his charger moved restlessly under the rein, an officer 
approached with an official document. Schuyler, ever on the alert, 
checked his horse to examine the dispatch. It contained the resolutions 
of Congress that deprived him of his command. This, in the face of the 
enemy, and at the turning point of his fortunes ! 



20 BATTLE OF SARATOGA 

A momentary movement of the lip, and a lifting of the eyebrows — 
then a deepening of the firm lines about the mouth, were the only signs 
of suppressed emotion. With a graceful bow to the waiting officer, the 
deeply injured Commander rode quietly on to his head-quarters. When 
surrounded by his officers he explained the dispatch, and simply said : 
" Until the country is in safety, I shall stifle my resentment." He kept 
his word, and with unremitting energy continued to perform the ardu- 
ous duties of his command, until his successor arrived. In a few days 
this successor, General Gates, appeared at head-quarters, where he was 
received and entertained by General Schuyler with unexampled mag- 
nanimity and dignity. 

Kosciusko, the Polish engineer, was sent by General Gates to recon- 
noitre and select a position for the proposed advance camp of the Amer- 
icans. He decided that Bemis Heights, four miles above Stillwater, 
was the most favorable point. The army was soon afterward encamped 
at that place, and a line of entrenchments constructed for its 
defense. 

The defeat of Baum, and the failure of St. Leger, by successive 
strokes, had paralyzed the right and the left arms of Burgoyne's force, 
and he now struggled forward with the maimed body of his army, amid 
ever thickening danger. Yet undismayed, he assiduously endeavored 
to carry out his original design, and obey the orders of Germaine and the 
King. Having collected provisions for a thirty days' march, he dispatched 
a messenger to New York with entreaties for a movement to be made 
from that direction. He then left Duer's House, and moved his army 
steadily forward to the Batten Kill, where he encamped on the night of 
the twelfth of September. Finding that his officers were reluctant to 
cross the river, he assumed the entire responsibility himself, and on the 
13th and 14th passed the whole army over the Hudson on a bridge of 
boats, enforcing his order, " This army must not retreat." They con- 
tinued their march down the river, and encamped on the north side of Fish 
Creek. Here, in sight of Old Saratoga, which lay on the south side of the 
stream, closed the " second period of the campaign," and with dramatic 
propriety the curtain falls upon another act, which in its progress has 
already indicated the direction of coming events. 

Here also, on the night of the 14th of September, Burgoyne's 
encampment rested on the very spot where, a few weeks later, his sur- 
render took place. This place was several miles above the battle-field of 
Bemis Heights. From a hill on the east side of the Hudson, Colonel 
Colburn, of the Continental Army, reconnoitred this camp. Perched in 



BATTLE OF SARATOGA 21 

the forks of a tall tree, he counted through his field-glass eight hundred 
tents ; watched the army prepare for and start on its forward march, and 
then hastened to Stillwater to make his report to Gates. 

Burgoyne's orders at this time prove the intensity of his anxiety, his 
constant anticipation of an attack, and his determination to press on at 
all hazards. On the fourteenth of September, they read, " During the 
next marches of the army, the corps are to move in such a state as to be 
fit for instant action. It is a standing order for the rest of the campaign, 
that all pickets and guards are under arms an hour before daylight, and 
remain so until it is completely light." 

On the fifteenth he says, " The army are to ma];ch in three columns, 
after having passed Schuyler's house — The provisions to be floated down 
under the care of Captain Brown — The hospitals to move as quick as 
carts can be provided for them — The bridge to be broke up and floated 
down immediately after the army is marched." And later in the day, at 
Dovogat, "■ The whole line to lie accoutred to-night." 

Here, at Dovogat, he remained two days, while his working parties 
repaired bridges and otherwise cleared the way for his artillery and 
baggage. Quietness and gloom hung about the heavy columns of his 
army. No drums were beat, or trumpets sounded ; mysteriously, labori- 
ously and persistently this strictly disciplined army was held to its course 
by the dogged determination and the impelling will of its commander. 
Orders were rigid and imperious. " The first soldier caught beyond 
the advance sentries of the army will be instantly hung. -The baggage 
will remain loaded, as the army will march as soon as the bridges are 
repaired," and at Sword's house on the seventeenth, his orders read, 
'' The whole army to lie accoutred, and be under arms before daybreak, 
and continue so until it clears up." 

The position chosen for the American camp, where Gates had 
determined to await an attack, was on a spur of hills that approached the 
river bank. At their base, on the river, stood Bemis' house, used by 
Gates as head-quarters for a few days ; he afterwards moved on the hill. 
Earthworks were thrown across the narrow meadow between the hill 
and the river ; they covered the old road, and the bridge of boats com- 
municating with the east side of the Hudson. The heights were to the 
north and west. Breastworks were projected toward the north, in a 
semi-circle, for three-quarters of a mile. Redoubts were established at 
intervals. A barn built of heavy logs, belonging to the Neilson farm, 
which lay within the works, was converted into a rude but strong forti- 
fication. A thickly wooded ravine formed a natural defense along the 



22 BATTLE OF SARATOGA 

front of the camp, and Mill Creek swept through a deeper ravine, a little 
to the north. Gates occupied, with the right wing, the river hills and 
the defile between these and the river; Morgan, of Arnold's division, the 
left wing, camped on the heights nearly a mile back from the river, and 
Learned occupied the elevated plain as centre. 

Arnold, with fifteen hundred men, was now constantly skirmishing 
with the enemy, and doubtless gave occasion for many of the sharp, con- 
cise orders issued by Burgoyne, who was constantly harassed, and often 
compelled to use a whole regiment to protect a small working party. 
On the seventeenth he was at Sword's house, where he encamped, 
and prepared for battle. 

At eleven o'clock on the morning of the nineteenth of September, 
General Burgoyne advanced towards the American camp with his army 
in three columns. The left commanded by Riedesel, and composed of 
the German regiments, with Phillips and his artillery, moved on the river 
road. 

Frazer, with his own and Breyman's corps, made a detour far to the 
west, and Burgoyne, with the English regiments, took the centre and 
marched toward the heights on the right. 

The main object of Burgoyne was a union of his own and Frazer's 
divisions in the rear of the left wing of the American camp. The Cana- 
dians and Indians were to engage the attention of the Americans in front, 
while Frazer would get in the rear of the American left by his circuitous 
route through the woods ; at a preconcerted signal, Burgoyne would 
make a simultaneous attack in the front ; Riedesel and Phillips would 
occupy Gates on the American right ; thus it was hoped they would cut 
off and destroy the American left wing, and at- the same time gain an ad- 
vanced position. 

Gates was told of the near approach of the enemy, but gave no orders 
to meet or prepare for them. Finally yielding to the urgent importuni, 
ties of Arnold and others, he consented to allow the hovering Indians to 
be driven back. But for this permission, which led to the repulse of the 
British, Burgoyne's plan might have been successful. 

The American regiments behind their works were restless and eager 
for the contest, and no sooner were they permitted to move than they 
assailed the enemy with resistless impetuosity. Morgan led the way 
with his riflemen, who drove the advancing forces with such rapidity, 
that, for a moment, their commander lost sight of them. His shrill whis, 
tie soon recalled them to calmer work. Now following Arnold with 
Learned's brigade, they attempted to cut off the detachment of Frazer 



BATTLE OF SARATOGA 23 

from the main army ; Frazer at the same time was endeavoring to reach 
the American rear. Both striving for the same object, and their move- 
ments screened by the heavy forest, they met unexpectedly near Mill 
Creek, a few yards west of Freeman's cottage. A furious contest followed. 
Arnold led with his usual spirit, while Morgan seemed endowed with 
the strength and ubiquity of a forest demi-god ; with his active, intelli- 
gent corps, he struck blow after blow, his men scattering like leaves of 
the autumn before a gust of the British bayonets, only to close again and 
follow up their advantage. Assailing Breyman's guns, they captured 
a cannon, and were carrying it from the field when Morgan's horse was 
shot under him ; heavy reinforcements came to relieve Frazer ; Gates 
still withheld assistance, and they were scattered once more. Arnold 
and Morgan now made a rapid counter march against Frazer's left, and 
in this movement encountered the whole English line under Burgoyne. 

They were now reinforced with four regiments, and made so vigor- 
ous and resolute an attack that they were on the point of severing the 
wings of the British arm}', when Phillips came forward with his artill- 
ery, and the Americans were forced back within their lines. It was 
now three o'clock, and a lull occurred in the contest. The two armies 
lay each upon a hillside, that sloped toward a ravine, which separated 
them. With the reinforcements conceded to Arnold, his force did not 
exceed three thousand men ; yet, with this number, for four hours, he 
sustained an unequal conflict with the choicest English regiments, in- 
spired by every sentiment that ambition or desperation could awaken, 
and commanded by many of the most accomplished and brave officers 
of the English Army. 

Steadily the Patriots received charge after charge of the dreaded 
English bayonets ; then, emboldened by their own endurance, they 
pushed upon the enemy in a fierce attack, to be driven again toward 
their own lines. While victory seemed thus to sway back and forth 
over the little stream, which hid its crystal waters under the crimson flood 
that now crept over it, and while the Americans held the ascendancy, 
Riedesel came over the field at double-quick with his heavy Germans, 
and pressed the exhausted Americans back once more. It was now 
dark; they gathered up their wounded 'and prisoners, and retired to 
their camp. 

The American loss in killed and wounded was about three hundred, 
and the British nearly double that number. The latter held the field, 
and claimed a victory ; it was worse than barren to them. Foiled in 
their main object, they were now burdened with many wounded ; they 



24 BATTLE OF SARATOGA 

had tested the strength of the Americans, and were convinced that 
their own advantages of discipline and bayonets were perfectly coun- 
terpoised by the enthusiasm and courage of the Patriots. The British, 
who bivouaced on the field, were harassed until midnight by large 
skirmishing parties of the Americans, and were under arms in expecta- 
tion of an attack in force. 

Arnold urged the importance of this attack with such vehemence 
that Gates took serious offense, although he failed to tell Arnold that he 
was short of ammunition — the reason afterwards given for his refusal 
to follow up the advantage of the previous day. In his report of the 
battle to Congress, he refrained from mentioning Arnold's name. This 
led to a further quarrel, and Arnold was deprived of his command. 
Gates continued to strengthen the defenses of his camp, while his army 
daily increased in numbers. 

Burgoyne encamped his whole army on the ground he had gained on 
the nineteenth, and protected it with strong entrenchments. Four re- 
doubts were constructed on the river hills, at the place now called Wil- 
bur's Basin. This was the northern extremity of a narrow alluvial fiat 
that extended to Bemis House, two miles below ; it widened in the cen- 
tre, and narrowed again at this point, where the hills lay very near the 
river. On its banks were the hospitals ; they and the batteaux were 
covered by a battery and earthworks ; similar defenses were extended 
toward the west for nearly a mile to Frazer's camp, which was posted 
on the heights near Freeman's farm. North ot that again a strong 
semi-circular redoubt was occupied by Breyman's artiller}^ ; this pro- 
tected the right flank of the entire camp ; the north branch of Mill 
Creek formed a ravine along the left front of the camp, which thus, as 
in other particulars, resembled the entrenched camp of the Americans. 

Strongly and skillfully posted, the two armies lay face to face from 
the twentieth of September until the seventh of October. 

" The hum of either army stilly sounds, 
That the fixed sentinels almost receive 
The secret whispers of each other's watch. 
Fire answers fire; and throvigh their paly flames •■ 
Each battle sees the other's umbered face. 
Steed threatens steed, in high and boastful neighs 
Piercing the night's dull ear; and from the tents, 
Rise dreadful note of preparation." 

Our army was exultant, hopeful ; scarcely to be checked in its rest- 
less desire to drive the invader from the fruitful fields and deserted 
homes he desecrated and destroyed. Rushing out from their entrench- 



BATTLE OF SARATOGA 25 

ments under every plausible excuse to skirmish with the outposts of the 
enemy, or capture his pickets, the eager militia could with difficulty be 
restrained by the cautious Gates from bringing on the general engage- 
ment that he seemed quite willing to avoid. 

The other camp seemed oppressed by the overhanging cloud of its 
impending fate. The British officers, perpetually on the alert, were un- 
able to secure a single night of undisturbed repose ; the men bore with 
quiet but sullen fortitude the privations and hardships of short rations, 
hurried snatches of sleep under full accoutrements, and constant calls to 
arms. More and more vivid to all grew the vision of that impassable 
wall of difficulties that enclosed them on all sides, leaving but one nar- 
row pathway to the north ; and even that was being closed by an active 
detachment of Americans from Lincoln's command. They had sur- 
prised the British garrisons at Lake George and Ticonderoga, and had 
regained all the outer defences of the latter place ; had captured gun- 
boats and batteaux, and taken three hundred prisoners. 

News of this calamity soon reached Burgoyne, yet he had some 
compensation in a gleam of hope that reached him from the South at the 
same time. A letter from Sir Henry Clinton was received, informing 
him that on the twentieth he would attack the forts below the High- 
lands, and attempt a further ascent of the river. Two officers in dis- 
guise were immediately dispatched in return to inform Clinton of the 
critical position of Burgoyne's army, and urge him to hasten to its 
assistance. Clinton was also assured that Burgoyne would endeavor to 
hold his present position until the twelfth of October. 

Lincoln, who, with a large body of militia, now joined the army at Bemis 
Heights, was placed in command of the right wing. Gates took command 
of the left, of which Arnold had been dispossessed. The latter had remain- 
ed in camp, waiting patiently for a collision between the hostile armies. 

As Burgoyne's situation became day by day more critical, and he 
received no news from Clinton, on the fourth of October he called Gen- 
erals Riedesel, Phillips and Frazer together in council. Riedesel was 
strongly in favor of a retreat to Fort Edward, and Frazer conceded the 
wisdom of such a movement ; Phillips declined to express an opinion, 
and Burgoyne finally declared that on the seventh he would make a recon- 
noissance, and if he then found the enemy too strong to be attacked, he 
would immediately retreat to Fort Edward, and await the cooperation 
of the army below. 

On the sixth he had five days' rations distributed, and arranged for 
iv reconnoissance in force on the following day. As he could not leave 



26 BATTLE OF SARATOGA 

his camp unprotected, he only took fifteen hundred men. They 
were selected from the corps of Riedesel, Frazer and Phillips. Led by 
these officers in person, and Burgoyne as Commander-in-Chief, they 
marched out of camp at eleven o'clock on the morning- of the seventh, 
and entered a field within three-quarters of a mile of the American 
left. Here, in double ranks, they formed in line of battle. 

On the left Williams' artillery and Ackland's grenadiers were posted, 
on a gentle hill in the edge of a wood that fronted on Mill Creek. Bal- 
carras' light infantry and other English regiments formed the right: 
the Hessians held the centre. Frazer, with five hundred picked men, 
was posted to the right and front of Balcarras, where a hill skirted the 
meadow ; he was ready to fall upon the rear of the American left at the 
first attack in front. 

Foragers were at work in a wheat field, while the English officers 
reconnoitred the American left with their glasses from the top of a 
cabin near the field. An aid-de-camp conveyed this information to 
Gates, who said : " Order out Morgan to begin the game." 

Morgan had already discovered Frazer's position, had divined his 
design, and formed his own plan. Ordering an attack to be made on 
Balcarras in front, he made a circuit in the- woods to fall upon Frazer 
from the heights above. It was also arranged that General Poor should 
assail the grenadiers on the British left simultaneously with Morgan's 
attack. Learned was to check the Germans in the centre. 

As the great Hudson, when suddenly loosened from his winter 
chains of ice, rushes with resistless force over all obstructions, so from 
their restraining earthworks the impetuous Americans poured furiously 
upon their adversaries in the front, while Morgan, like a mountain torrent, 
swept down the height upon Frazer's heroic band. So terrible was the 
onslaught that in less than twenty minutes the British were thrown into 
confusion. Frazer, in his brilliant uniform, on a splendid war horse, 
rode from side to side of the right wing, encouraging and rallying the 
bewildered troops, and protecting every point with his flexible five 
hundred. 

Burgoyne, seeing the right wing in danger of being surrounded, now 
ordered Frazer to form a second line to cover a retreat. In attempting 
this manoeuvre Frazer fell mortally wounded, and was carried from the 
field. 

The division under Poor, with the same impulsive vigor, dashed up 
the hill upon the artillery and grenadiers of the British left, and drove 
them from their guns. Ackland brought them back, and recapture.! the 



BATTLE OF SARATOGA 



27 



guns, which again fell into the hands of the Americans, who rapidly 
turned them upon the enemy, and drove them flying from the field. 
Ackland was wounded in both legs. He was a large, heavy man, but 
an officer took him on his back, and ran some distance with him. The 
pursuit was close, and the officer, fearing he would be captured, drop- 
ped his friend, and hurried on. Ackland now called out to the flying 
men that he would give fifty guineas to any man who would carry him 
into camp. A tall grenadier took him on his shoulders, but had not 
proceeded many steps when he and his helpless burden were taken 
prisoners. 

The Hessians still held their ground in the centre. At this moment 
Arnold, maddened by his injuries, and excited into frenzy by the clash 
and roar of the battle, dashed like a meteor on the field, followed in the 
distance by Armstrong, Gates' aid-de-camp, carrying orders to compel 
his return. Stop the bison on his native plain ? the swallow on its 
flight? More easy this than Armstrong's task. The genius of war 
thrilled Arnold's soul, as epic metres stir the poet, as rugged landscapes, 
shadowed under sunset lights, influence the artist's brain. Genius ever 
lives and conquers ! It may be desecrated and destroyed, as Arnold 
buried his in ignominy ; but while it lives and inspires its own peculiar 
work, it rules and is supreme. Men bow before it, or lie crushed be- 
neath its power. Thus, when Arnold waved his sword, and shouted his 
brief commands, the genius within him rung through the tones of his 
voice, glanced from the quivering flash of his sabre, and the regiments 
followed where he led — one strong will, one palpitating force. 

With two brigades he rushed upon the Hessian centre, who stood 
the shock bravely for a time, but as he dashed upon them again and 
again with a fury they had never witnessed, they turned and fled in dis- 
may. 

Burgoyne now took command in person, and the conflict became 
general along the whole line. Arnold and Morgan, uniting to break a strong 
point in the British ranks, would again separate to dash from one place 
to another, where orders or encouragement were necessary. Burgoyne 
succeeded Frazer as the conspicuous figure on the opposing side, and was 
seen in the thickest of the melee, under the heaviest fire. Several shots 
tore his clothing, and his aids implored him not to expose himself, but 
resolute and daring, he endeavored skillfully, but vainly, to rally his 
army, and hold his ground. He could more easily have checked a hur- 
ricane on the great prairies ; his whole force was driven before the 
storm, and swept into their entrenched camp. Here they made a deter- 



28 BATTLE OF SARATOGA 

mined stand. Arnold now took Patterson's brigade, and assailed Fra- 
zer's camp, where Balcarras and his light infantry had taken refuge. 
Charging with renewed vigor again and again up the embankment, he 
led the way over a strong abattis ; driven back from this, he attacked 
the entrenchments connecting this redoubt with Breyman's flank defence. 
Here he succeeded, and leaving the Massachusetts regiments to follow 
up the advantage at that point, he encountered a part of Learned's brig- 
ade, and dashed upon the strong works of the Hessian camp. Here, 
too, he drove everything before him. Capturing the cannon, the artill- 
erists fled in consternation, and Breyman was killed on the spot. Ar- 
nold's horse was shot under him ; it fell on him, and his leg was severely 
wounded. He was carried from the field. 

The whole British camp now lay exposed to the pursuing Americans. 
Night and silence fell upon the scene. The groans of the wounded, the 
muffled words of command given for the burial of the dead, and the 
dirge-like wailing of the autumn wind in the tall pines, were the only 
sounds that followed the roar of artillery and the shouts of the victors. 

" A thousand glorious actions, that might claim 
Triumphant laurels, and immortal fame, 
Confused in clouds of glorious actions lie, 
And troops of heroes undistinguished die." 

Ah, yes! the field of Saratoga is rich with the blood of heroes. 
What are the few names we have recorded compared with the unnum- 
bered hosts who lie under the placid hills of the Hudson — or who per- 
formed upon this field unnoticed deeds of valor, and passed through life 
unregarded and unnamed. 

While the battle raged on the heights, confusion and sorrow reigned 
in and around the British camp near the river. The Baroness Riedesel, 
who, with her little children, had joined her husband at Fort Edward, 
and remained with the army, was living at Taylor's house, above Wil- 
bur's Basin. She had breakfasted with her husband at his camp on the 
heights, and having returned home, was awaiting his arrival with Gen- 
eral Frazer and other officers, who were to dine with her. These pleas- 
ant anticipations were supplanted by grief and terror, when, at about 
two o'clock, General Frazer was brought in on a litter, desperately 
wounded. The table, which had been spread for dinner, was hastily 
put aside, and a bed prepared for him. He asked the surgeon to in- 
form him truly of his condition, and when told he could live but a few 
hours, he exclaimed : " O, fatal ambition ! Poor General Burgoyne I 
My poor wife ! " These brief words express forcibly the desires, the 
thoughts, and the affections of this brave man. 



BATTLE OF SARATOGA 29 

The Baroness, with her children and servants, and the wives of Ma- 
jor Harnage and Lieutenant Reynell, clustered despairingly together in 
one corner of the room where the dying General lay. The whole house 
Avas now filled with the wounded, and Madame Riedesel soon recov- 
ering her composure, was actively engaged in relieving their suffer- 
ings and comforting her afflicted companions. Information had been 
brought that Major Harnage was wounded, and that Lieutenant Rey- 
nell had been killed. Lady Ackland occupied a tent near by, and was 
soon informed that her husband was mortally wounded and a prisoner. 
Frequently during the succeeding night the Baroness left her sleeping 
children, and went to the tent of her friend, to tell her of more encourag- 
ing rumors ; and she finally advised her to obtain permission to join her 
husband in the American camp. 

At daybreak Madame Riedesel was informed that General Frazer 
was in his death agony ; she wrapped her children in the bedclothes, and 
carried them in the hall, until the last sad scene should close. Then, re- 
turning to the room, she and her companions were all day long in the 
presence of the sheeted dead. 

After midnight General Lincoln from the American camp marched 
on the battle field with a large body of fresh troops, to replace the ex- 
hausted victors of the previous day. Burgoyne, aware of his danger if 
attacked in his exposed position, now moved his whole army hurriedly, 
but in good order, to the river bank. Here, in gloomy desperation, they 
were crowded together under the redoubts, on the morning of the eighth. 

The whole of this day was spent in heavy skirmishing between the 
hostile armies, and General Lincoln, who had not been on the field dur- 
ing the seventh, was now slightly wounded. At six o'clock in the 
evening. General Burgoyne, with Generals Riedesel and Phillips and 
Mr. Brudenell, the chaplain, accompanied the remains of General Frazer 
to a large redoubt on one of the river hills, where they buried him, ac- 
cording to his dying request. The ladies at Taylor's house witnessed 
the funeral, and saw the cannon balls thrown by the Americans tear 
up the earth around the grave, while the funeral service was being read. 
In a few moments the balls ceased their flight, and the cannon only 
bellowed forth the melancholy roar of the minute guns. Gates had 
been informed of the sad office in progress ; a graceful token of a sol- 
dier's sympathy. 

Soon after this sad scene, Lady Ackland, with the Chaplain, her maid 
and her husband's valet were placed in a small boat and rowed down the 
river to the American camp, where she was soon united with her hus- 
band, whose wounds, though serious, were not fatal. 



30 BATTLE OF SARATOGA 

Bjirgojnie now gave orders for a full retreat of his army, to begin at 
nine o'clock that same night, the wounded and all heavy baggage to be 
left behind. General Riedesel was ordered to lead the van-guard, and 
push on until he crossed the Hudson at the Saratoga ford, and there take 
a position behind the hills at the Batten kill. A drenching rain poured 
upon the weary, plodding army the whole night. At Dovogat a halt 
was made. Burgoyne wavered and countermanded his orders. His last 
chance of retreat escaped him. 

" In helpless indecisions lie, 
The rocks on which we strike and die." 

The imperious commander, who had led the forward march with un- 
flinching resolution, pushing to his end without fear or hesitation, when 
foiled and sent back, for a moment shuddered, and refused to accept his 
fate. He still held his panic-striken army under his will, and he deter- 
mined once more to wait for the coming of the army from below ; it might 
yet bring him relief. Starting from Dovogat at daybreak, the British 
moved again, bvit only to encamp during the day on the heights north of 
the Fish kill. The handsome residence of General Schuyler was burned 
on the way. During this time Colonel Fellows, with the American 
artillery, had planted his guns on the hills on the east side of the Hudson, 
opposite the British camp. General Stark had also taken possession of 
Fort Edward above. On the tenth General Gates, having waited for fine 
weather, followed Burgoyne to Saratoga and encamped on the south 
side of the Fish kill. His delay greatly endangered the detachment of 
Colonel Fellows, who could easily have been surrounded and captured ; 
in fact, some of Burgoyne's officers were anxious to make the attempt, 
but failed to obtain permission. On the morning of the eleventh, while 
the autumn mist hung heavily over Fish kill and the adjacent grounds, 
Gates, believing that Burgoyne had continued his retreat, ordered his 
whole army to advance and cross the stream in pursuit. Without a 
reconnoissance or van-guard, the army was set in motion. The vigilant 
Burgoyne, having now staked his chances on delay, was waiting eagerly 
for any mistake on the part of his adversary. Aware of the proximity 
of Gates, and of his intention, he drew up his army, under cover of the 
dense fog in battle array, on the north side of the stream, to receive him. 
The American regiments under Nixon passed over and were instantly 
attacked ; a severe contest followed, and Nixon soon discovered the British 
in force ; using his own judgment, and disobeying orders, he retreated, 
and checked the further progress of the army until communication could 
be had with Gates. 



BATTLE OF SARATOGA 



31 



Morgan had crossed the creek towards Saratoga Lake and, screened 
by the woods, posted his riflemen on the heights in the rear and 
flank of the British camp. This was strongly intrenched on the hill near 
the river, but was now entirely surrounded by the Patriots, and all com- 
munication destroyed either with the north or south ; and it was soon 
found by the British that their camp was exposed in every part to the 
fire of cannon or riflemen ; no approach to the river was permitted, and 
there was much suffering for want of water. The sick, wounded and 
women were huddled together in a house where cannon balls tore through 
the walls, and roMed across the floor, often wounding the helpless 
men who lay within. Madame Riedesel, with her children, and the other 
ladies took refuge in a cellar, where hours of horror were endured 
with uncomplaining misery. 

Sir Henry Clinton, having obtained reinforcements from England, at 
last came storming up the Hudson as though he would annihilate all ob- 
stacles between himself and Burgoyne. He obtained possession of Forts 
Montgomery and Clinton, although they were most courageously defend- 
ed by Gov. George Clinton and his brother James, who very skillfull}^ 
saved their garrisons. The British easily destroyed the obstructing 
boom across the river, and Putnam, deceived and alarmed by their 
manoeuvres, left the enemy to sail unmolested to Albany. Satisfied with 
the destruction of the American vessels, and having burned Kingston, 
the seat of the Government, and ravaged the stately manor houses of 
Livingston and other aristocratic republicans, the Englishman returned 
to New York, and left Burgoyne unassisted in his perilous position. 

He had now only five days rations for his army, and not a spot where 
he could hold a council of officers in safety. On the 13th he called them 
together to consider their desperate condition, and there " General Bur- 
goyne solemnly declared, that no one but himself should ansAver for the 
situation in which the army found itself." Three questions were then 
submitted for their consideration. " ist. Whether military history fur- 
nished any example of an army having capitulated under similar circum- 
stances. 2d. Whether the capitulation of an army placed in such a situa- 
tion would be disgraceful. 3d. Whether the army was actually in such a 
situation as to be obliged to capitulate." These were answered in the 
affirmative, and there was an unanimous declaration in favor of capitu- 
lation. The terms of surrender were then discussed. A messenger Avas 
sent to Gen. Gates, who agreed to an immediate armistice. A meeting 
of officers to represent the commanders of the respective armies, was ar- 
ranged to take place on the spot where Gen. Schuyler's house had stood. 



-2 BATTLE OF SARATOGA 

There seemed a poetic justice in this, considering the magnanimous spirit 
of Schuyler, the relentless destruction of Burgoyne, and the humilia- 
tion of the destroyer on the site of the ruin he had wrought. 

The terms proposed by Burgoyne required that his army, upon its 
surrender, should be marched to Boston, and from there be shipped to 
England. Gates refused this proposition, and demanded an unconditional 
surrender as prisoners of war, Burgoyne rejected these terms indig- 
nantly. 

The armistice ceased. Burgoyne prepared for the worst. 

Gates now heard of Sir Henry Clinton at the Highlands. His fears 
were aroused ; he despatched a message to Burgoyne, in which he agreed 
to almost ever}^ article of the first proposition. Burgoyne gave his as- 
sent to these terms. Some further negotiations were in progress in re- 
gard to points of minor importance. News of Sir Henry Clinton's expe- 
dition now reached Burgoyne. Again delusive hopes awoke in his heart. 
He hurriedly called his officers together to consider whether they could 
honorably withdraw from the agreement to surrender. It was decided 
that honor held them fast, although the papers were not signed. On the 
17th of October the capitulation, or convention, as Burgoyne stipulated 
it should be called, received the signatures of the two commanders, 
Gates and Burgoyne. 

The British army were now marched out of their camps, under their 
own officers, to a plain near old Fort Hardy, where the Fish kill empties 
into the Hudson. Here, in the presence of only one American, an aid- 
de-camp of Gates, they laid down their arms. Generals Burgoyne, 
Riedesel and Phillips now passed over the Fish kill to the head-quarters 
of Gates, who rode out to meet them, accompanied by his aids. When 
they met, Burgoyne said, " The fortunes of war, General, have made me 
your prisoner," to which Gates replied, "I shall ever be ready to bear 
testimony that it has not been through any fault of your excellency." 

The American army were drawn up in ranks on either side of the 
road. The whole army of British prisoners, preceded by a guard bear- 
ing the stars and stripes, and a band playing Yankee Doodle, were 
marched between the files of their victors. 

Gates and Burgoyne stood contemplating the scene. In the presence 
of both armies, General Burgoyne stepped out, and drawing his sword 
from its scabbard, presented it to General Gates ; he received it, and 
silently returned it to the vanquished General. 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 






A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



"America is the Old rather than the 
New World, being the first-born among 
the continents; " when 

" Earth was young and keeping holiday — 
Monster fishes swam the silent main, 
Stately forests waved their giant branches, 
Mountains hurled their snowy avalanches. 
Mammoth creatures stalked across the plain." 



It is a pleasant morning late in June. 
One of those ineffable days that belong 
to this month in the region of country 
lying along the south-eastern foot of the 
Adirondacks; that " angle between the 
great northern and western war-paths " 
of the past that followed " the encircling 
chain of almost a thousand miles of liv- 
ing waters that surround Northern New 
York." In this atmosphere are combined 
the freshness of the mountains, the mel- 
lowness of the plains, the healthfulness 
of the pines. In the heart of this region, 
on the edge of the Laurentian rocks of 
the world's first continent, sits the village 
of Saratoga Springs, drawing to herself, 
magnet-like, the men and women of many 
nations; attracting them by various prop- 
erties, yet pouring forth to all alike the 
treasures of her wonderful chemical lab- 
oratory, and clothing all in new vigor 
with her mountain-freighted atmosphere. 

On the western piazza of one of her 
famous hotels, the United States, are 
numerous groups of visitors. Miss Kate 
Van Eyck, a blooming blonde of twenty; 
Miss Pelham, her young friend, graceful 



and fashionable, recently returned from 
Europe; and Mrs. Harris, a middle- 
aged, youthful looking widow, sit loung- 
ingly near the piazza railing, their books 
and fancy-work lying neglected in their 
laps. Mr. Winship, a young lawyer 
from Boston, enjoying his short vacation, 
leans against a column, gazing absently 
at Miss Van Eyck; Judge Van Eyck, 
her father, " a true Knickerbocker in the 
fullest sense of the word," approaches 
with a firm, even tread, suggestive of dig- 
nity, self-reliance, and exactness of char- 
acter. 

Judge Van Eyck, as he draws up a 
chair and sits down: "Well, ladies, do 
we go the battle-field to-day? it is a glo- 
rious morning, and I am already inspired 
with some patriotic emotions. I find 
there is nothing like a little leisure to 
allow the sentiments to expand — with 
the help of an entertaining book. I 
must thank you, Mrs. Harris, for my re- 
awakened interest in the glories of my 
country." 

Mrs. Harris: "How is that. Judge; 
was it the shabbv little volume I loaned 
you yesterday ? " 

Judge Van Eyck: "Yes; I always find 
these impromptu journals of army offi- 
cers the most delightful kind of history. 
They photograph the scene on the spot, 
quite a different process from your ela- 
borate painting, such as the historian of 
the future gives, filled with imaginary 
figures, and diffused with an atmosphere 
of his own ideas and opinions. It is re- 



36 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROT^XD 



freshingly real to find these young Eng- 
lish lords of '76, Captains and Lieuten- 
ants, calling us rebels, and predicting 
our speedy annihilation." 

Mrs. Harris: " Some of them were un- 
consciously elegant writers; but have 
you read any of the journals and travels 
written by Hessian officers who were with 
the British army ? They are charming; 
the simplicity, quaintness and truth with 
which they describe the country and the 
people are incomparable." 

Miss Van Eyck: "O, Mrs. Harris! do 
tell father that delightful story about the 
German poet." 

Mr. Winship, drawing near: "What 
do I hear about a poet, Miss Van Eyck?" 

Miss Pelham: "Of course Kate has 
found a poetic element in the subject 
under discussion; she is so romantic." 

Mr. Winship: " I am glad to hear Miss 
Van Eyck is romantic. I thought her 
eminently practical." 

Miss Van Eyck: "I protest against 
being discussed before my face, and if 
we are going to the battle field, we had 
better start; but I don't want to go to 
day. I thought I knew all about the 
battle of Saratoga, and I have just dis- 
covered that I know nothing. Mrs. 
Harris is a perfect encyclopedia, and I 
know she will tell me all about it, if we 
wait a few days; won't you, Mrs. Harris ? 
Why should we hurry, father } " 

Judge Van Eyck : " I am in no 
hurry, Kate ; you know I promised that 
while here I would obey your orders, 
but the other ladies may prefer to go 
now ; decide it among yourselves." 

Miss Pelham : " Dear me, Kate ; you 
do not expect to know all the history 
and details concerning places you visit, 



do you ? I tried the guide-books in 
Europe, and found them detestable. I 
think if you have a general idea that 
something wonderful has happened at a 
place, that is sufficient to excite an agree- 
able interest. It's an awful drag to try 
to remember the names of kings and 
generals who were on this side, and who 
on that — it interferes with the sentiment ; 
now you like sentiment, why bother 
about facts." 

Miss Van Eyck : " Which means, I 
suppose, that you do not wish our trip 
deferred." 

Miss Pelham : " O no, not at all ; one 
day will suit me as well as another, but I 
am thinking how I will dispose of the 
time while you and Mrs. Harris are talk- 
ing history. I must go in search of a 
new novel." 

Mrs. Harris : " You forget. Miss Fan- 
ny, that I have made no promise yet, 
and Kate's jest about my knowledge is 
no guarantee that I have the information 
necessary to bore you. I do not half 
believe in your avowed preference for 
ignorance, however, and I have no doubt 
but you will assist in recalling the men 
and events that give historic interest to 
the old battle ground." 

Miss Van Eyck : "What was the name 
of that German officer you were telling 
me about ? " 

Mrs. Harris : " His name was Seume, 
and he was not an officer, which gives 
additional interest to his trials and hard- 
ships ; he bore them with philosophical 
endurance, or rather an easy indiffer- 
ence. His comrades, the German com- 
mon soldiers, employed by the British, 
were ignorant, coarse and degraded, 
mere slaves of the petty despots wlio 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



37 



ruled them ; yet there must undoubt- 
edly have been an occasional individual 
like Seume himself, who possessed edu- 
cation and refinement. " The officers 
were entirely of this class, and more than 
that, they all belonged to the nobility, 
and were among the most accomplished 
gentlemen of Europe." 

Mr. Winship: "Why, Mrs. Harris! 
you astonish me ; are you not mistaken ? 
Surely the Hessians employed against 
us were universally a gross, thieving, de- 
graded set of wretches. I did not sup- 
pose a word could be said in their favor. 
Even their own countryman, Frederick 
the Great, taxed them like so many head 
of cattle for the privilege of passing over 
his territory. Certainly, he intended by 
this to show his disgust for the enter- 
prise in which they were engaged, and 
his contempt for their rulers." 

Judge Van Eyck : "I fear we can- 
not give Frederick credit for these 
noble sentiments. He was the last 
man likely to sympathize with the cause 
for which the Americans contended. 
He was simply angry and jealous that 
the troops he had been in the habit of 
hiring for his own purposes, for a trifling 
sum of money, were now let out at a 
high price, thus raising their market 
value, and he determined to appropriate 
a part of the profit to himself." 

Mr. Winship : " Really, one is tempted 
to throw all histories into the fire, when 
discovering the false impressions receiv- 
ed from tliem. I begin to think that it 
is not worth while to read history at all. 
I believe I have never felt my sympa- 
thies and opinions fully in accord with 
people or events in the past, that I have 



not afterward had my whole theory 
about them upset, and my facts ques- 
tioned." 

Judge Van Eyck : " Yes, sir ; you will 
generally find this to be the case, which 
only proves that we have no right to 
theories or feelings in regard to histori- 
cal persons and events. We must sift 
out the facts as well as we can, and look 
upon them as abstract facts alone." 

Miss Van Eyck : " Indeed, father, you 
know that cannot be done — and that you 
certainly do not do it; you have the 
strongest kind of likes and dislikes. You 
must remember how you defend Gen, 
Schuyler ; and as to Gen. Gates, I think 
you talk dreadfully about him, consider- 
ing he was one of the Revolutionary 
heroes." 

Mrs. Harris : " You are all wandering 
very far away from my young German 
student, although I find I have really 
very little to tell you about him. He 
was a youth of brilliant poetic talent, 
and an eager student ; was on his way 
from the university at Leipsic, to Paris, 
where he would soon complete his 
course of study, when he was suddenly 
seized by a recruiting officer, and driven 
like a slave to the nearest military 
post. Yet so little idea had the men 
of that time of their individual rights, 
that it does not seem to have occur- 
red to him to make even a protest 
against such an outrage. Imagine an 
ardent, refined young man forced from 
place to place, and finally plunged into 
the depths of one of those horrible 
ships that transported the German troops 
from England to Canada. Their Land- 
grave sent them to England, almost des- 



38 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



titute of clothing ; contracts were made 
with Englishmen to supply them, and the 
boxes of clothing were not opened until 
the ships had sailed, when it was discov- 
ered that much of it was utterly worth- 
less — some of the cases contained ladies' 
shoes, and other things equally appropri- 
ate." 

Miss Pelham: " O, let us suppose that 
the dainty young poet could wear a pair 
of the ladies' shoes — who knows but he 
may have had a mantilla and jDarasol, 
too ! " 

Mr. Vi/inship: " Why, yes; what an al- 
leviation of his sufferings. If he could 
not wear them, he could hang them up, 
and apostrophize them in melodious 
lines." 

Miss Van Eyck: "I think you are 
most unfeeling to ridicule a man in such 
a position. I suppose the poor fellow 
had not even a book to distract his mind 
from his miseries." 

Mrs. Harris: " He seemed to look upon 
his misfortune as an inevitable fate, and 
to adopt it as a sort of Bohemianism. 
Upon his return to Germany, he wrote 
an autobiography." 

Miss Van Eyck: "Was it there you 
found that curious description of the 
uniform of the American soldiers and 
officers? " 

Mrs. Harris: "No; that was in the 
' Briefwechsel, ' where the letter of a 
German officer says that some of the 
American officers, quite in contrast to 
their simple dress, wore large, powdered 
wigs, for which the soldiers felt the 
most profound reverence. But many of 
these German accounts are full of serious 
matter, that will probably be an efficient 
guide through some of the intricacies of 



the Saratoga campaign, as the German 
view of it is quite different from either 
the British or American." 

Judge Van Eyck: " I suppose we have 
that in the Memoirs of Madame Riede- 
selj and the journals of her husband, 
translated some years ago by Mr. Stone." 

Mrs. Harris: "Yes; that is one of the 
most entertaining accounts of Burgoyne's 
Campaign that can be found. I have 
written a sketch of the Baroness, drawn 
from that book and other sources, which 
I have promised to lend Kate." 

Miss Pelham, rising: " It is time for 
me to go the Clarendon Spring for my 
tonic water, and I shall stop at the book- 
store for a novel. Won't you go, Kate ?" 

Mr. Winship: "Will you all go to the 
bowling alley, and have a game of ten- 
pins ? " 

Miss Van Eyck: " O, yes ! I want to 
retaliate on father and Mrs. Harris; they 
shall not beat us so badly again." 

They saunter through the broad hall 
and down the front steps of the hotel, 
the ladies raise their sunshades, and 
without further preparation continue 
their walk to the spring. Miss Pelham, 
Miss Van Eyck and Mr. Winship in ad- 
vance, talking with animation upon some 
subject not historical. Mrs. Harris 
and the Judge stray slowly on behind 
them, still interested in the subject 
that has occupied them during the 
morning. 

Judge Van Eyck: "I have read the 
memoir of Madame Riedesel. I was 
charmed with the Baroness; her intelli- 
gence and refinement, as well as her de- 
votion to her husband and children, are 
remarkable. With what vividness and 
skill she pictures the events passing 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



39 



around her, and with what naivete she 
relates the most trifling incidents of her 
own experience ! " 

Mrs. Harris: "Yes; that is the very 
thing that gives such reality to her ac- 
count of the campaign, and the long 
captivity that followed. By the way. 
Judge, do you not think it was rather 
disgraceful in our Congress to refuse to 
ratify the terms of the convention signed 
at Saratoga? Certainly Burgoyne and 
his officers had reason to feel aggrieved, 
although the English Government bore 
it very quietly. I believe that Washing- 
ton urged upon Congress their obligation 
to confirm the terms of the convention." 

Judge Van Eyck: " Yes, he did; and 
however it might be regretted that Gates' 
weakness, and Burgoyne's firmness had 
fixed the terms as they were, it has seemed 
to me there was no honorable course for 
Congress to pursue but to confirm them. 
Yet we must remember that there were 
many minor points which may have 
weighed with them, and are not appar- 
ent to us. It is said that La Fayette's 
influence prevailed in the matter. He was 
interested for the French Government, 
wishing to prevent the use of Burgoyne's 
army against France, as war was impend- 
ing between that country and England." 

Mrs. Harris: "I remember now hav- 
ing read somewhere that he urged, as a 
precedent for disregarding the articles 
of the convention, the surrender of the 
Duke of Cumberland at Kloster Seven, 
on which occasion the terms of capitu- 
lation were ignored by the English." 

Judge Van Eyck: "Burgoyne himself 
did obtain leave to go back to England, 
although he was unsuccessful in secur- 
ing the return of the army." 



Mrs. Harris: " I always feel a pro- 
found sympathy for him on that return 
trip. Although we cannot say, as the 
poet does of one of the kings of Eng- 
land, that 'he never smiled again,' it is 
known that, even after he was excul- 
pated from censure by Parliament, when 
he enjoyed great social distinction, and 
was flattered and applauded in conse- 
quence of the success of his drama, "The 
Heiress," that ' the shadow of Saratoga 
always rested on his brow.' The buoy- 
ancy and zest of his aspirations were 
destroyed by a stroke of the pen that 
signed his humiliation and General Gates' 
triumph. One thing has occurred to me, 
Judge, as rather remarkable since I have 
read something of the private lives of 
these officers of the invading army. They 
all seem to have been model husbands; 
even Burgoyne, who was considered a 
gay, pleasure-loving dilettante^ treated 
his wife with tender devotion and 
an unlimited confidence and defer- 
ence." 

Judge Van Eyck: "Did he not elope 
with her? I think she was an Earl's 
daughter." 

Mrs. Harris: " Which proves there was 
a romantic attachment to begin with; 
this ripened into a life-long affection, 
and her family became not only recon- 
ciled to Burgoyne, but were devoted to 
his interests ever afterwards. You will 
remember that Gen. Frazer spoke pa- 
thetically of his wife in his dying mo- 
ments; Major Ackland reciprocated the 
devotion of Lady Ackland, and Gen. 
Riedesel was a veritable lover to the 
Baroness. The young people are wait- 
ing for us; we must win another victory 
over them." 



40 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



II. 

It is afternoon. Judge Van Eyck and 
Mr. Winship are enjoying their cigars 
and the New York papers in the gentle- 
men's reading room. The ladies of their 
party have retired to their cottage, in 
the south wing of the great hotel, and 
disposed themselves for an afternoon rest. 
Miss Pelham lies on the bed, turning 
over lazily the pages of her new novel. 
Mrs. Harris, on the sofa in the parlor, is 
lost in one of those short, profound naps 
that assist in preserving the freshness of 
ladies on the shady side of forty. Miss 
Van Eyck has drawn a large easy chair 
to the window; she opens the manuscript 
which Mrs. Harris has given her, and 
reads a sketch of 

THE BARONESS RIEDESEL IN AMERICA 

On the nth of June, 1777, in the har- 
bor of Quebec, a ship, just arrived from 
England, cast anchor. On its deck 
stood the Baroness Riedesel with her 
three young children, Gustava, Fred- 
erika and Caroline ; her faithful maid, 
Lena, who had followed her from Ger- 
many, and another she had hired in 
England. There the Baroness had been 
obliged to remain nearly a year, waiting 
for a suitable transport to Canada; that 
new land, where her thoughts and desires 
were constantly drawing her towards the 
gallant husband who had parted from 
her in grief, and now, she was sure, 
awaited her arrival with anxiety and joy. 
Gazing wistfully towards the shore she 
thought, '* scarcely one short hour, and 
his arms will encircle me." 

At this moment the booming of guns 
from all the ships in the harbor, firing a 
salute in honor of her arrival, increased 



her excitement; tears of hope and joy 
streamed from her beautiful blue eyes, 
she clasped the little Caroline more 
closely to her breast, while Gustava and 
Frederika danced about her, wild with 
delight, in anticipation of a release from 
the long confinement of eight weeks on 
board ship. Their demonstrations of 
joy increased, when they saw a boat, 
"containing twelve sailors, dressed in 
white, with silver helmets and green 
sashes," approaching the ship to carry 
them ashore. With it came letters from 
Gen. Riedesel, informing his wife that he 
had been unable to await her arrival at 
Quebec, and had started on the summer 
campaign with General Burgoyne. Here 
was a bitter disappointment, but this 
gentle, resolute woman gave little time 
to unavailing regrets. Only remaining 
in Quebec long enough to dine with the 
wife of General Carleton, and without 
resting from the fatigues of the long 
sea voyage, on the evening of the same 
day the Baroness, with her family, em- 
barked in a small boat and proceeded 
up the St. Lawrence, hoping to overtake 
her husband, and spend at least a few 
hours with him. It was a beautiful 
moonlight night; they were accompanied 
by a splendid band of music. Mingled 
emotions of disappointment and antici- 
pation stirred the sensitive heart of the 
wife and mother as they glided on so 
weirdly over the waters of the broad, 
strange river. The children, wearied with 
the excitement and novelty of the day, 
soon feel asleep. At midnight they were 
awakened, and prepared for a long ride 
across the country. Three light calashes 
were provided for them. 

" I could not," says the Baroness, 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



41 



"bring my heart to trust a single one of 
my children to my women servants; and 
as our calashes were open and very small, 
I bound my second daughter, Frederika, 
fast in one corner; took the youngest, 
little Caroline, on my lap; while my old- 
est, Gustava, as the most discreet, sat 
between my feet on my purse. As I had 
no time to lose, if I would overtake my 
husband, I promised a reward to the 
servants if they would drive very fast, 
and consequently we went as quickly as 
vehicles and horses would allow." She 
rode in this way until the following 
afternoon, when she made the pas- 
sage of the Three Rivers in a light ca- 
noe, made of bark. At one end of this 
frail boat the Baroness sat with her three 
children in her lap, while her servants 
balanced it at the other end. The boat- 
men told, her that the slightest movement 
would overturn the canoe. This fright- 
ened little Frederika, who screamed, and 
tried to jump up. The Baroness, there- 
fore, had to hold her firmly while she con- 
tinued to scream with great terror. They 
proceeded in this painful manner until 
they reached the village of Three Rivers. 
At this place the Hessian troops had 
been in winter quarters, and General 
Riedesel had left a house prepared for 
the reception of his family. The distress 
of the Baroness was increased by the 
surrounding manifestations of the affec- 
tionate care and forethought of her ab- 
sent husband, in providing for her com- 
fort. The enthusiastic affection and re- 
spect with which he was spoken of by 
the friends he had left here, at once con- 
soled and afflicted her, since she was told 
that he had been quite sick, and was not 
yet recovered, and that his illness had 



been increased by his solicitude for her 
during the long voyage — rumors having 
reached him of disasters at sea, that he 
feared might have robbed him of his lit- 
tle family. The Grand Vicar of the vil- 
lage, sympathizing with her anxiety to 
join her husband, loaned her a covered 
calash in which she immediately resum- 
ed her journey in pursuit of the advanc- 
ing army. The weather was exceedingly 
stormy, and the road difficult and rug- 
ged, but she still pushed forward with 
impatient eagerness. She says, "this 
vehicle went so rapidly that I could 
scarcely recover my breath, in addition 
to which I was so jostled about (as I was 
constantly obliged to hold my children) 
that I was completely beaten to pieces. 
I was obliged at every post station to 
stretch out my arms and walk around a 
little to render my joints more limber." 
How touching a picture is this ! A deli- 
cate, refined woman, accustomed only to 
the comfort, luxury and shelter of an old 
civilization, in a circle of devoted rela- 
tions and friends, encountering the hard- 
ships of the wilderness — self-reliant, cour- 
ageous, persevering — not for one moment 
forgetting or neglecting the babes who 
are dependent on her tenderness, even 
while her whole soul is absorbed in that 
intensity of wifely love and devotion that 
renders her regardless of fatigue, pain, 
and repeated disappointment. If we are 
moved with enthusiasm in recalling the 
valor and self-forgetfulness of the soldier 
in the service of his country — on the 
wearying march, and amid the carnage of 
the field — may we not be equally stirred 
at a manifestation of heroic endurance 
and self-abnegation in an exercise of the 
most sublime of human emotions ? The 



42 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



love that out-strips time, space, obsta- 
cles — that endures, waits, yearns, la- 
bors for the beloved one, and never 
wearies, never flags, but grows, strength- 
ens and expands until lost in the immor- 
tal love of the hereafter ! Is this mere 
high-flown sentiment — are these words 
for romancers and poets ? We need no 
other answer than a glance at the tired, 
eager face of this woman, who only typi- 
fies a class upon whom the world gazes 
with blind eyes. 

A messenger had been dispatched in 
advance to inform General Riedesel of 
the approach of his wife ; he started im- 
mediately to meet her; unfortunately as 
he advanced upon one road, he passed 
her upon another, and thus by one of 
those unpropitious chances that often set 
united efforts at cross purposes, was the 
union of these anxious hearts still fur- 
ther delayed. Arrived at Chambly, the 
place from which he had started, the 
Baroness was advised to await his re- 
turn. She says, "my children and my 
faithful Rachel kept a constant watch on 
the high road, that they might bring me 
news of my husband's arrival. Finally 
a calash was descried, having a Cana- 
dian in it. I saw from a distance the 
calash stop still ; the Canadian got out, 
came nearer, and folded the children in 
his arms. It was my husband ! As he still 
had the fever, he was clothed (though it 
was summer) in a sort of cassock of 
woolen cloth, bordered with ribbons, and 
to which was attached a variegated fringe 
of blue and red, after the Canadian 
fashion of the country. My joy was be- 
yond all description, but the sick and 
feeble appearance of my husband terri- 
fied me, and a little disheartened me. I 



found both my elder daughters in tears. 
Gustava for joy at again seeing her father, 
and little Frederika because she saw him 
in this plight. For this reason she would 
not go to him at all, but said, " No, no, 
this is not my papa ; my papa is pretty." 
" The very moment, however, • that he 
threw off his Canadian coat, she tenderly 
embraced him." How graphically the 
wife describes the emotions of her chil- 
dren — how little she says for herself. " It 
was my husband ! My joy was beyond 
all description," and again : " We re- 
mained with each other two happy days." 
How inadequate to depict the emotions 
of the heart are all outward expressions ! 
Months, years of deferred hope may find 
their culmination in a few hours of joy ; 
a lifetime of unselfish motives, of persist- 
ent effort, its reward in a few days of 
rest, a few moments of delight. Yet how 
may we give utterance to the fullness of 
joy, the beatitude of culminated hopes ! 

General Riedesel informed his wife 
that she could not acompany the army 
at that time, and that it would be neces- 
sary for her to return to Three Rivers, 
and await the development of events. 
The confidence of an assured love, the 
satisfaction of a mutual appreciation 
may alleviate the hours of separation, 
but the heart rebels, and we grieve with 
the loving wife, who says : " I was forced, 
to my great sorrow, to go back to Three 
Rivers. I suffered yet more upon wit- 
nessing the departure of the troops 
against the enemy, while I, with my 
children, was obliged, alone and desert- 
ed, to return and live in a strange land, 
among unknown people. Sorrowful, and 
very much cast down, I travelled back. 
What a difference between this journey 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



43 



and that which I had made a little while 
before ! This time I did not move so 
quickly ; for at every post station, which 
removed me further from him I loved, 
my heart was torn open afresh." 

A few weeks were passed by Madame 
Riedesel at the little village of Three 
Rivers, where with discretion and amia- 
bility she adapted herself to the people 
around her, and found the contentment 
that ever follows such efforts. In the 
meantime the British and German forces 
had swept on victoriously past Ticonder- 
oga, Fort Independence, and Skenes- 
borough. Major Ackland had been 
wounded at Hubbardton, and his wife 
was allowed to join him. As soon as 
this permission was granted, General 
Burgoyne, bearing in remembrance his 
own tender solicitude for his lamented 
wife, thoughtfully turned to General 
Riedesel, and said : " Your wife shall 
come too, General ; despatch Captain 
Willoe to escort her at once." 

Captain Willoe soon arrived at Three 
Rivers, when the Baroness and her fam- 
ily once more joyfully embarked in a 
small boat, accompanied by another one 
containing the soldiers, baggage and pro- 
visions. The first night they were obliged 
to land on a small island — the second 
boat, being heavily laden, had fallen far 
behind. The little family were without 
supper and candles or other comforts. 
A deserted hut was found, containing 
some bushes, upon which shawls were 
spread, and the little ones were induced 
to lie down to rest. During the night 
they were frequently disturbed by strange 
sounds and sudden lights, which could 
be seen through the chinks of the cabin. 
At breakfast, which was spread upon a 



stone for a table, Madame Riedesel ask- 
ed the Captain what had caused the 
alarming sights and sounds. He admit- 
ted that he had discovered, when too 
late to make a change, that this was 
Rattlesnake Island, so called because 
a very great number of these reptiles 
infested the place. He had tried by the 
unusual sights and sounds to keep them 
at a distance. 

Upon hearing this, the breakfast was 
hurried, and they left the island as 
quickly as possible, arriving at St. John's 
soon after. Here they took passage in 
larger boats, and had a prosperous and 
beautiful trip through Lake Champlain 
and the transparent waters of Lake 
George. The magnificent scenery was 
a constant source of delight to the culti- 
vated taste and pure mind of the Baron- 
ess, whose happy anticipations were in 
harmony with the joyous spirit of sum- 
mer, that seemed to vivify this lovely re- 
gion with the breath of a living beauty. 
As the boat drifted near the shores of 
the picture-like islands, the delicate 
colors of the varied wild flowers, and the 
full-throated carol of the fearless birds, 
entranced her; and again, in the midst 
of the broad lake, the grandeur of the 
primitive forests, the largeness of vision 
granted by the rarified atmosphere, the 
rounded, verdant mountains, and the 
shadowed valleys inspired a depth of 
thought and gratitude that subdued the 
impatient eagerness of all purely human 
affections. 

The little family traveled on pleas- 
antly, the children reflecting the happi- 
ness of the mother; they soon reached 
Fort Edward, where Burgoyne's army 
was then encamped. They were re- 



44 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



ceived with unbounded delight by (ien- 
eral Riedesel, and warmly welcomed by 
the commanding officers. Immediately 
after this, communication was cut off 
with Canada, and the Baroness congrat- 
ulated herself greatly on having been 
able to join her husband, as otherwise 
she would have been separated from him 
during all the years of his captivity. 
Upon her arrival, a room was assigned 
her at headquarters in the Red House; 
"and here," says the Baroness, "I had 
the joy of spending three happy weeks 
in the greatest tranquility. We had a 
very pleasant life. The surrounding 
country was magnificent; and we were 
encircled by the encampments of the 
English and German troops. The weath- 
er was beautiful, and we often took our 
meals under the trees." She and her 
children endeared themselves greatly to 
all the military household. This inter- 
est continued through the hardships of 
the following weeks; and many brave 
men felt their hearts stirred with sympa- 
thy and tenderness towards these gentle 
beings, who seemed like lovely flowers 
tossed hither and thither on the tempest- 
uous waves of war. 

On the nth of September, the army 
moved slowly forward over an obstructed 
pathway, and. thus were the little family 
often weary and hungry with waiting 
during the day, and exhausted and sleepy 
long before they could stop at night. 
Madame Riedesel says: "We made only 
small day's marches, and were very often 
sick; yet always contented at being al- 
lowed to follow. I had still the satisfac- 
tion of daily seeing my husband. In the 
beginning all went well. We cherished 
the sweet hope of a sure victory, and of 



coming into the 'promised land;' and 
when we passed the Hudson river, and 
General Burgoyne said, ' The P^nglish 
never lose ground,' our spirits were 
greatly exhilarated." 

After the battle of the 19th of Sep- 
tember, and while the British were en- 
camped near Freeman's Farm, Madame 
Riedesel, with her family, occupied Tay- 
lor's house, a mile or two north of the 
encampment. General Riedesel's head- 
quarters were a long ride from Taylor's. 
Madame Riedesel daily visited the camp, 
and sometimes took breakfast or dinner 
with her husband, but more frequently 
he came, accompanied by other officers, 
to dine with her. Colonel Williams of 
the artillery, noticing the fatigue to which 
these visits subjected General Riedesel 
and his wife, offered to build a block- 
house for her near the camp. She gladly 
accepted his offer. It was built of heavy 
logs, and would form a comfortable shel- 
ter from the autumn chilliness. General 
Riedesel was still suffering from the ef- 
fects of fever, and the Baroness says: *' I 
was to remove into it the following day 
and was the more rejoiced at it as the 
nights were already damp and cold, and 
my husband could live in it with me, as 
he then would be near the camp. Sud- 
denly, however, on the 7th of October, 
my husband, with the whole general staff, 
decamped. Our misfortunes may be said 
to date from this moment. I had just 
sat down with my husband at his quar- 
ters to breakfast. General Frazer, and 
I believe Generals Burgoyne and Phil- 
lips, were to have dined with me on the 
same day. I observed considerable move- 
ment among the troops. On my way 
homeward, I met many savages in their 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



45 



war dress, armed with guns — they cried 
out 'War! war! ' This completely over- 
whelmed me, and I had scarcely got back 
to my quarters, when I heard skirmish- 
ing and firing, which by degrees became 
constantly heavier, until finally the noises 
were frightful. It was a terrible cannon- 
ade, and I was more dead than alive. 
About three o'clock in the afternoon, in 
place of the guests who were to have 
dined with me, they brought to me, upon 
a litter, poor General Frazer (one of my 
expected guests), mortally wounded. Our 
dining table, which was already spread, 
was taken away, and in its place they 
fixed up a bed for the General. I sat in 
a corner of the room, trembling and 
quaking, lest my husband should be 
brought to me in the same manner. 
Prayers were read to General Frazer, af- 
ter which he sent a message to General 
Burgoyne, begging that he would have 
him buried in the great redoubt on the 
hill. 

" I knew not which way to turn, the 
whole entry and other rooms were filled 
with sick. Finally, towards evening, I 
saw my husband coming, upon which I 
forgot all my sufferings, and thanked 
God that he had been spared to me. He 
ate in great haste with me and his adju- 
tant, behind the house. We had been 
told we had gained an advantage over 
the enemy, but the sorrowful and down- 
cast faces which I beheld bore witness 
to the contrary; and before my husband 
went away again, he drew me to one side, 
and said that things might go very badly, 
and I must keep myself in constant read- 
iness for departure, but to give no one 
the least inkling of what I was doing. 
I, therefore, pretended that I wanted to 



move into my new house the next morn- 
ing, and had everything packed up. 

" My Lady Ackland occupied a tent 
not far from our house. In this she 
slept, but during the day was in the 
camp. Suddenly one came to tell her 
that her husband was mortally wounded, 
and had been taken prisoner. At this 
she became very wretched, for she loved 
him very much. She was the loveliest 
of women. I spent the night in this 
manner ; at one time comforting her 
and at another looking after my children, 
whom I had put to bed. General Frazer 
and all the other gentlemen were in my 
room, and I was constantly afraid that 
my children would wake up and cry, and 
thus disturb the poor dying man, who 
often sent to beg my pardon for making 
me so much trouble. At eight o'clock 
in the morning he expired. * * About 
four o'clock in the afternoon, I saw the 
new house which had been built for me in 
flames; the enemy, therefore, were not 
far from us." 

When describing General Frazer's fu- 
neral, she says: " Many cannon balls also 
flew not far from me, but I had my eyes 
fixed upon the hill, where I distinctly 
saw my husband in the midst of the en- 
emy's fire, and, therefore, I could not 
think of my own danger." 

Burgoyne, after describing the sol- 
emnity of this scene, and the steadiness 
of the officiating elergyman who was 
" frequently covered with dust which the 
shot threw up on all sides of him," thus 
apostrophises his friend : " To the can- 
vas, and to the faithful page of a more 
important historian, gallant friend, I 
consign thy memory ! There may thy 
talents, thy manly virtues, their progress, 



46 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



and their period, find due distinction ; 
and long may they survive, long after the 
frail record of my pen shall be forgot- 
ten ! " 

Immediately after the funeral a retreat 
was ordered. Madame Riedesel entered 
her calash with her children and maids, 
and traveled the whole night in a pour- 
ing rain. The strictest silence was en- 
joined lest the enemy should discover the 
retreat. Little Frederika had became so 
nervous and frightened by the painful 
events of the day, that her tears and 
screams could not be restrained, and her 
mother was obliged to hold a pocket 
handkerchief over her mouth to prevent 
her cries from being heard. At six 
o'clock in the morning a halt was made. 
General Riedesel came up, and being 
greatly exhausted, dismounted from his 
horse, and sat in the calash, soon falling 
asleep with his head on his wife's shoul- 
der. His little daughter now became 
very docile and quiet, reassured by the 
presence of her father, whom she loved 
dearly ; she could easily understand how 
he would be disturbed, though rebellious 
against the military order for silence. 
The drenching rain continued through 
this whole day, which was spent without 
shelter. Several officers brought Mad- 
ame Riedesel their watches, rings and 
purses, requesting her to take care of 
them. She promised to do so, and after- 
wards found them a source of much 
anxiety to her. The Baroness says that 
during this halt, one of her maids 
" did nothing, cursed her situation, and 
tore out her hair. I entreated her," she 
continues, " to compose herself, or else 
she would be taken for a savage. Upon 
this she became still more frantic, and 



tore her bonnet off her head, letting her 
hair hang down over her face, and said: 
"You talk well! You have your hus- 
band ! But we having nothing to look 
forward to, but dying miserably on the 
one hand, or losing all we possess on the 
other!" To quiet her, I promised to 
make good all her losses. My good 
Lena, though much frightened, said 
nothing." 

At night they moved on about half an 
hour's march, and camped at old Sara- 
toga. Here a good fire was built, the 
children were warmed, wrapped in dry 
clothing, and laid upon some straw near 
the fire to sleep. While sitting near 
them, distressed and exhausted, General 
Phillips came up, and she asked him why 
the retreat was not continued. " Poor 
woman," answered he, " I am amazed at 
you ; completely wet through, have you 
still the courage to wish to go further in 
this weather!" On the next morning 
the Baroness says : " The greatest mis- 
ery and utmost disorder prevailed in the 
army. The commissaries had forgotten, 
to distribute provisions. More than 
thirty officers came to me who could en- 
dure the pangs of hunger no longer. I 
had coffee and tea made for them, and 
divided among them all the provisions 
with which my carriage was filled. We 
had a cook, who, although an arrant 
knave, was fruitful in expedients, and 
often in the night would steal from the 
country people, sheep, poultry, and pigs, 
which he afterwards sold to us for a high 
price — a circumstance that we only learn- 
ed a long time afterward." 

In the afternoon cannonading was 
heard, and everything was in confusion. 
The Baroness with her family hurried 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



47 



into the calash, and drove to a house 
near by. As she arrived at the door she 
saw some men at a distance leveling 
their guns towards this spot ; she threw 
her children into the bottom of the cal- 
ash, and herself over them ; at the same 
moment a soldier just behind her had 
his arm shattered by one of these balls. 
She hurriedly entered the house which 
the Americans supposed to be occupied 
by the Generals ; a heavy fire was di- 
rected towards it. Madame Riedesel 
and her family took refuge in the cellar. 
Here, during the whole night, she sat 
upon the floor, while the terrified child- 
ren hid their heads in her lap. The 
sound of cannon balls crashing through 
the walls of the house above, the cries 
of the children, the stench of the sick 
and wounded who had crowded in, and 
above all, the uncertainty of her hus- 
band's fate, contributed to the suffering 
and anguish of this horrible night, 
" Yet in this terrible den of affliction, 
this extraordinary woman preserved her 
courage and compassion." When the 
morning came, she prevailed upon all to 
leave the cellar, until she could have it 
cleaned and fumigated ; in the meantime 
she placed the little girls under the cel- 
lar stairs, as she feared to trust them a 
moment from her presence. 

When the cellar was cleaned, and the 
door opened for the women and the 
wounded to enter, a great rush forward 
was made by a crowd of frightened and 
desperate soldiers who had fled from the 
camp, and now sought a place of safety. 
The Baroness and her children were in 
danger of being crushed and overwhelm- 
ed ; she, however, with great resolution 



and calmness, stood in the doorway, and 
spreading out her arms, firmly com- 
manded the men to stand back. They 
shrank away ashamed. The helpless 
ones were then brought in. 

Major Harnage, who was wounded, 
with his wife, and Mrs. Reynell, whose 
husband had been killed the day before, 
curtained off a corner of the cellar, and 
wished to arrange another corner for the 
Baroness. She preferred to stay near the 
door, where she thought she could more 
readily save her children in case of fire, 
and where she could the more easily slip 
out during the night to see if the camp 
fires were still burning. She was in con- 
stant fear that the army would make a 
hasty retreat, and leave her behind ; she 
had a great dread of falling into the hands 
of the Americans. She lived in this 
dreadful way for six days, and during 
this time " acted the part of an angel of 
comfort and help to the sufferers around 
her. She was ready to perform every 
friendly service, even those from which 
the tender mind of woman will recoil. 
By her energy she restored order from 
chaos, and the soldiers obeyed her more 
readily than their commanding officers." 

General Riedesel's horse was kept con- 
stantly saddled for her to mount in case 
of a sudden retreat. Three of the 
wounded officers, who were resolved not 
to be left as prisoners, swore to the Bar- 
oness that in case of a retreat, they each 
would take one of her children before 
him on his horse, and assist her in her 
flight. They were very fond of the little 
girls, and often endeavored to quiet their 
fears. One of the officers could bleat 
like a calf, and bellow like a cow. When 



48 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



Freclerika would wake up in the night 
and cry, he often mimicked these ani- 
mals, when she would laugh heartily, and 
thus reassured, fall asleep again. 

They suffered greatly for water, as the 
Americans would not allow the British to 
approach the river, but picked off with 
their well aimed rifles every man who at- 
tempted it. A soldier's wife was found, 
however, who undertook this service, 
and the Baroness was much impressed 
by the conduct of the Americans in leav- 
ing her unmolested on account of her 
sex. 

On the 17 th of October the army capit- 
ulated. 

After the generals of the conquered 
army had been received by General 
Gates, a message was sent to the Baron- 
ess, asking her to join her husband in the 
American camp. Once more she entered 
the calash that had carried her so many 
weary miles. Trembling and anxious at 
the thought of going among strange peo- 
ple in so trying a position, she drove up 
to the headquarters of the American 
General. " Here," says she, " a noble 
looking man approached us and took the 
children out of the wagon, embraced and 
kissed them, and then with tears in his 
eyes, helped me also to alight. ' You 
tremble,' said he; 'fear nothing.' 'No,' 
replied I, ' for you are so kind, and have 
been so tender toward my children, that 
it has inspired me with courage.' " He 
was General Philip Schuyler. " He then 
led her to the tent of General Gates, 
where they found Generals Phillips and 
Burgoyne, and the latter said to her: 
'' You may now dismiss all your appre- 
hensions, for your sufferings are at an 
end," General Schuyler then took her 



and her children to his own tent, where 
he entertained them with considerate 
hospitality. In the evening he sent an 
officer to accompany her to Albany. 
She was kindly received at his house by 
Mrs. Schuyler and her daughters, where 
she remained three days. Upon leaving 
this hospitable mansion, the Baroness 
Riedesel, with her husband and children, 
entered upon the vicissitudes and trials 
of their long captivity. They traveled 
with the captured army by land to Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts, where they re- 
mained several months, expecting from 
time to time to embark for England ; 
when Congress finally refused to ratify 
the convention of Saratoga, they jour- 
neyed again by land to the interior of 
Virginia, where they put up temporary 
houses, made gardens, and domesticated 
themselves as they could in their trying 
position. Before starting for Virginia, 
Madame Riedesel gives the following ac- 
count of the preservation of the German 
flags : " Now I was forced to consider 
how I should safely carry the colors of 
our German regiments still further, as 
we had made the Americans at Saratoga 
belive that they were burnt up — a cir- 
cumstance which they at first took in bad 
part, though afterwards they'tacitly over- 
looked it. But it was only the staves 
that had been burned, the colors having 
been thus far concealed. Now my hus- 
band confided to me this secret, and en- 
trusted me with their still further con- 
cealment. I, therefore, shut myself in 
with a right honorable tailor, who helped 
me make a mattress in which we sewed 
every one of them. Captain O'Connell, 
under pretence of some errand, was sent 
to New York, and passed the mattress 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



49 



off as his bed. He sent it to Halifax, 
where we again found it on our passage 
from New York to Canada, and where — 
in order to ward off all suspicion in case 
our ship should be taken — I transferred 
it into my cabin, and slept during the 
whole of the remaining voyage to Can- 
ada upon these honorable badges." 

Upon Madame Riedesel's return to 
Europe, and to Brunswick, she says: " I 
found our entire family mansion in the 
same order as I had left it on my depart- 
ure to America. * * About a week af- 
terwards, I had the great satisfaction of 
seeing my husband, with his own troops, 
pass through the city. Yes, those very 
streets in which, eight and a half years 
before, I had lost my joy and happiness, 
were the ones where I now saw this beau- 
tiful and soul-stirring spectacle. It is 
beyond my power to describe my emo- 
tions on beholding my beloved, my up- 
right husband, who the whole time had 
lived solely for his duty, and who had 
been so unwearied in helping and assist- 
ing, as far as possible, those who had 
been entrusted to him, standing, with 
tears of joy in his eyes, in the midst of 
his soldiers." 

Thus we find this loving, this devoted 
wife, bearing the test of time and change, 
yet preserving the fervor, the freshness, 
and the enthusiasm of her love — an en- 
during crown of youth and beauty to 
ennoble and adorn the completeness of 
her womanhood. 

Her daughter, the impetuous little 
Frederika, became one of the celebrated 
women of her day. She married the 
Count Reden, and was also on warm 
terms of friendship with Humboldt, Ba- 
ron Stein, and many distinguished men. 



for whom her house was a favorite resort. 
After her death, Frederick William, King 
of Prussia, caused a beautiful monument 
to be erected to her memory. 



Kate Van Eyck drops the manuscript 
in her lap, her hands lie listlessly on the 
arms of the large chair, and she gazes 
dreamily out of the window. 

Mrs. Harris: " Well, Kate, how do you 
like my heroine? " 

Miss Van Eyck: " She is unreal. Do 
you think there is such devotion as her's 
in real life? I never saw it." 

Mrs. Harris: "You must believe with- 
out seeing, Kate. Romance is simply 
real life at a distance." 

Miss Van Eyck: " What do you mean?" 

Mrs. Harris: "That we are living a 
romance, as the people of every age and 
every time have been. One hundred 
years hence, we will be seen through a 
misty atmosphere of sentiment and ex- 
aggeration that will idealize us and our 
time to the people of that day." 

Miss Pelham, coming from the back 
room : " Do lay history aside now, 
and let us discuss the dinner we are to 
have at the lake to-morrow. Did you 
hear, Mrs. Harris, that Colonel Shelby is 
expected from West Point this evening? " 

Mrs. Harris: "Yes. He will be an 
agreeable addition to our party." 

The ladies are now busy with the af- 
fairs of the toilet, and soon pass out to 
the piazzas, fresh, composed and ele- 
gant, as cultivated women of ample 
means and honorable connections should 
be, near the close of a pleasant day, whose 
remaining hours will be devoted to ra- 
tional pleasures. 

Colonel Shelby arrives, and during the 



50 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



evening it is arranged that they will all 
enjoy a trout dinner at the Lake House 
on the following afternoon. Judge Van 
Eyck gives orders to his coachman to go 
early in the morning, and order the din- 
ner, to insure a good supply of the deli- 
cacies peculiar to the place. 



III. 

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the 
landau, buggy and saddle horses carry 
our pleasure seekers from the " United 
States" past Congress Hall and the 
Grand Union. They sweep around the 
curve, guarded by the bronze sentinel of 
the " 77th Volunteers," who stands ever 
watchful on his tall granite pedestal, and 
on past the great spring and the race- 
course, over the smooth, broad road that 
has been gradually widened and leveled, 
and lifted from the rugged, marshy path 
of the wilderness to the well-watered, 
evenly graded avenue, with its continu- 
ous sidewalk and tempting resting places. 
Colonel Shelby, a tall Virginian, rides 
with the easy grace of a Southerner and 
the precision of a West Point graduate, 
while Miss Van Eyck manages her rest- 
less horse Guido with equal confidence 
and skill. Ascending the last hill, they 
catch a glimpse of the romantic little 
Lake Lonely, once called Owl Ditch — a 
name equally significant, though less me- 
lodious. Quickening their speed as they 
reach the summit, they suddenly rein in 
their horses among the cluster of bril- 
liant equipages at the Lake House. The 
whole party now alight, and stand on the 
lawn of the hill side, enjoying the beau- 
tiful view of Saratoga Lake, which lies 
stretched at their feet. 



Miss Pelham: "How plaqid the lake 
is, and what a beautiful feature Snake 
Hill is in this view. I wonder it should 
have received such a name! " 

Judge Van Eyck; "It was probably 
suggested by the number of rattlesnakes 
found there; they were once exceedingly 
numerous in all this region. I like such 
names — anything that indicates a fact or 
idea, absolutely connected with the place 
itself, is preferable to an affectation that 
applies classical or historical names to 
our new places." 

Mrs. Harris: "There is an interesting 
Indian legend associated with Snake Hill. 
I will write it out for you some time, 
Kate." 

' While Mrs. Harris is speaking the dark- 
faced, white-aproned waiter announces 
dinner. They all repair to the shaded 
dining room, where, over a luxurious re- 
past, they discuss trout and bass; the 
Adirondacks and the Thousand Islands, 
with the comparative pleasures and pen- 
alties of each — hunting, fishing and camp- 
ing. 

Miss Van Eyck: "Father, did you not 
tell me that General Schuyler of the Rev- 
olution was a famous hunter? " 

Judge Van Eyck: " Yes; that was, per- 
haps, one reason why he had such influ- 
ence with the Indians; there was not 
another in the province, except the John- 
sons of " Johnson Hall," who could man- 
age them so well. General Schuyler was 
appointed Indian Commissioner in 1775, 
and held that position until long after the 
Revolution. He was constantly called 
upon by both Congress and the State 
Government to conciliate or control the 
restless and influential tribes of the Six 
Nations. He was a capital shot and a 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



51 



fine horseman, which seem to me to be 
incontestable proofs of his personal cour- 
age, which some prejudiced persons have 
called in question. Do you think, Col- 
onel Shelby, that a man can handle a gun 
Avith ease and accuracy during a long life, 
and be always at home on a horse 
of high metal, and yet lack physical 
courage, especially if he has the princi- 
ples and instincts of a gentleman, as all 
admit that General Schuyler had?' 

Colonel Shelby, laughingly "Well, 
Judge, I believe General Gates was a 
high-toned gentleman in a certain sense, 
yet he is said to have been an arrant 
coward. He continually shirked danger, 
and at Camden ran like a fox when the 
hounds are in pursuit. I think, too, he 
was a good horseman." 

Mr Winship, warmly: " You are not 
justified in making such sweeping asser- 
tions in regard to General Gates. Un- 
fortunately, by the force of circumstances, 
he became the rival of General Schuyler, 
who always showed a partizan spirit, and, 
like all narrow minded men, could only 
lead a clique. General Gates saved the 
campaign of '77 at the North, and he 
cannot be stripped of his laurels. If he 
met with disasters at the South after- 
ward, it is no more than other command- 
ers have suffered, whose characters have 
■not been questioned. He had no op- 
portunity to retrieve himself after that 
defeat at Camden, but was immediately 
stripped of his command, which, you 
will remember, was given to General 
Greene." 

Colonel Shelby: " I beg your pardon, 
sir; I really have no feeling in this mat- 
ter, and have expressed a stronger 
opinion than I entertain. I was but 



quoting the statements of a leading New 
Yorker, who is familiar with these dis- 
puted points, and should know more 
about it than I do." 

Judge Van Eyck: " You were quite right, 
Colonel, It requires little mvestigation to 
learn that General Gates deserved all the 
censure he has received, and more. He 
was an infamous intriguer against Gen- 
eral Washington, as well as against Gen- 
eral Schuyler. His success at Saratoga 
brought into full blossom the seeds of 
his presumptuous aspirations. He made 
no report of the surrender there to the 
Commander-in-Chief. He sent it di- 
rectly, and only, to Congress by Wilkin- 
son, who was so long in delivering it that 
when Congress, overflowing with grati- 
tude for his good tidings, voted him a 
sword, a shrewd Scotchman observed: 
' I think ye'll better gie the lad a pair of 
spurs.' You know General Gates' con- 
nection with the ' Conway Cabal," do 
you not? If he was not its master spirit, 
he at least labored to gain the greatest 
possible advantage from its success. He 
had succeeded in supplanting Schuyler; 
he had robbed him of his ripening fame; 
had calumniated and degraded him, yet 
he considered this but a stepping stone 
to the main object of his ambition — the 
chief command of the whole army. The 
extent of his efforts and the support he 
received in Congress has never been made 
known, and never will be. The sessions 
of Congress were held with closed doors; 
the after success and continued popular- 
ity of Washington induced the members, 
who had opposed him and favored Gates 
to be very close-mouthed, while their 
colleagues of the other side were gener- 
ous, and said nothing. It is well known 



52 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



that Gates was constantly hanging about 
the doors of Congress; and you know, 
Colonel, that to this day the choice places 
are often secured by the officers who fre- 
quent the capitol, keep a sharp lookout 
for their own interests, and stimulate the 
ardor of their friends — human nature is 
ever the same. 

" It was in the restless desire to elevate 
Gates that John Adams ridiculed the 

* Fabian ' policy of Washington ; the 
promptings of Gates, then in consulta- 
tion with Congressional friends, pushed 
on the bitter invectives against the un- 
fortunate but faithful Generals of the 
North, when it was said in Congress: 
' We must shoot a General before we can 
win a victory.' In one of the most try- 
ing hours of Washington's life, when he 
was giving orders for the famous passage 
of the Delaware, Gates failed him as 
usual, and made off to Baltimore, where 
Congress was then in session; and, ac- 
cording to Wilkinson, he spent the time 
on his journey criticizing Washington's 
plan for the winter campaign, and con- 
structing one of his own, that, he said, 
it was his intention to propose to Con- 
gress. What sort of conduct was this 
for a military man, to leave the fighting 
behind him, and run after politicians; to 
criticize where he should have obeyed? 
Upon my word, I think it was a worse 

* run ' than the one at Camden, inas- 
much as fear is a more inspiriting mo- 
tive than deliberate selfishness." 

Mr. Winship : " You have brought a 
miscellaneous set of charges against 
General Gates, Judge, each of which 
would require a long explanation, but 
you must admit that he had some just 



cause of complaint to Congress, and I 
suppose he had a right to present his 
grievances and try to obtain their re- 
dress. If Schuyler was superseded by 
him, was he not also superseded time and 
again. If he did not consider General 
Washington infallible, according to your 
own account, there were many who 
agreed with him, and surely some undue 
elation might be pardoned after such a 
triumph as that of Saratoga. The flat- 
tery and adulation he received in conse- 
quence of that might naturally have sug- 
gested the ambition you attribute to him, 
if there was already dissatisfaction with 
the chief of the army. 

" After the Conway difficulty had been 
settled, all accounts agree in declaring 
that General Gates conducted himself 
with great dignity and propriety — as he 
did, in fact, on many trying occasions. 
Always in his intercourse with the Brit- 
ish, and with the people of the country 
where his army was located, from time 
to time, he displayed wisdom and moder- 
ation. He was uncompromising in his 
adherence to the great principles of the 
revolution, and the respect accorded him 
by foreigners, who judged dispassionately 
of the men of those times, should save 
him from the petty attacks of partizan 
feeling." 

Mrs. Harris : " Mr. Winship, how do 
you account for the singular conduct of 
General Gates in delaying, after the sur- 
render of Saratoga, to reinforce Wash- 
ington with the recruits that had been 
detached from the main army ? Gene- 
ral Morgan obtained permission from 
Gates to return in advance of the other 
division." 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



53 



Mr. Winship : "General Gates had 
good reason for believing that a most 
advantageous movement could be made 
in this State " 

Miss Pelham, interrupting : " Was 
not Morgan one of the picturesque 
heroes — a sort of bandit ? Bryant has 
written some verses about him, 'Our 
band is few, but true and tried.'" 

Mrs, Harris, smiling : " The verses 
relate to Marion and his men. Morgan 
urged upon Gates the serious need of the 
commander-in-chief for the services of 
his corps, knowing as he did, that Wash- 
ington had organized it for special pur- 
poses connected with his immediate com- 
mand, and a reluctant consent was ob- 
tained from Gates to allow its departure 
in advance of the other regiments. 
Washington had written that the want 
of these troops from the North, embar- 
rassed all his measures. He finally sent 
Colonel Hamilton to hasten them, and 
after great delay and hesitation on the 
part of Gates, Hamilton wrote to Wash- 
ington that he doubted whether he would 
have had a man from the northern army 
if they could have been kept with any 
decency, yet Governor Clinton had urged 
Gates to forward the troops to Washing- 
ton's army, telling him that ' upon its 
success every thing worth regarding de- 
pended.' This, you will remember, 
Judge, was just before the terrible winter 
at Valley Forge, and Washington must 
have felt that his misfortunes during the 
fall were owing in a large measure to the 
sacrifice he had made in sending the con- 
tinental regiments to assist Gates, who 
delayed them so unreasonably. Yet, 
Washington declared at that time that, 



if the cause were advanced, he cared not 
in what quarter it happened.' " 

Judge Van Eyck : " The delay of 
Gates is similar to that of Lee, just after 
the fall of Fort Washington ; he was then 
the hero of the hour, as Gates was at this 
time. The requests, entreaties and com- 
mands of Washington were alike disre- 
garded by Lee, who held on to the troops, 
thinking he could seize upon a favorable 
opportunity to strike a blow at the British 
in New York City, and thus raise himself 
over his superior. The same desires 
and the same schemes instigated Gates ; 
he cherished a hope that he and Put- 
nam could drive Sir Henry Clinton out 
of New York City — thus a brilliant dash, 
that would bring personal eclat^ filled the 
minds of these two men who had little 
conception of the larger schemes and 
more elaborate end toward which Wash- 
ington was patiently toiling. The head 
of each had grown light with a tempo- 
rary triumph ; it requires the exercise of 
greater qualities for a man to preserve 
his equilibrium upon the summit of a 
great success, than to rise above the 
depression of a disastrous failure." 

Mrs. Harris : " I thought General 
Gates was planning a winter campaign 
into Canada about that time." 

Judge Van Eyck : " That was later, 
during the winter, when he was head of 
the board of war. Do you remember 
how they had La Fayette, not then twenty- 
one years old, appointed commander of 
this expedition, which was a mere shadow, 
for they never collected either troops or 
stores for it, but sent La Fayette and De 
Kalb with a retinue of officers to Albany. 
The poor young marquis wrote most pa- 



54 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



thetically to Washington, complaining of 
the hidicrous position in which he was 
placed, and which he declared would 
make him the laughing stock of Europe. 
The scheme was found to be impracti- 
cable, and as usual, Congress had to re- 
turn to the quiet, far-sighted methods 
advised by Washington." 

Mr. Winship : " Judge, you travel 
over a great deal of ground in making 
out your case against General Gates, but 
some how you have not touched the im- 
portant jjoint as between Gates and 
Schuyler. Was it not a wise decision 
that gave Gates the command of the 
northern army before the battle of Sara- 
toga ? Why, Burgoyne had already run 
Schuyler nearly into Albany. He was at 
Van Shaick's Island, where he could not 
possibly have maintained himself ; the 
British could have crossed the Mohawk 
above him. In fact, I think it was by 
the route crossing those ferries that Gene- 
ral Phillips advised Burgoyne to ad- 
vance from Lake George. Some persons 
contend that Burgoyne's failure to follow 
this advance was the cause of his dis- 
asters." 

Judge Van Eyck : " You are mis- 
taken, Mr. Winship, about the strength 
of the position at the mouth of the Mo- 
hawk, and you forget that General Schuy- 
ler retained his headc[uarters at Still- 
water, and evidently intended to advance 
his whole army as soon as it was in a 
condition to meet the enemy. It would 
have been sheer madness to encounter 
such an army as Burgoyne's with the 
handful of militia Schuyler then had, 
and with his scarcity of arms and ammu- 
nition. Gates is excused six weeks later 
for not following up the battle of the iQtli 



of September, because he was short of 
ammunition. Schuyler, while still at 
Fort Edward, had ordered the window 
leads to be taken from all the houses in 
Albany, and melted into balls, but it re- 
quired time to carry out this order. 
Gates reaped the benefit of it, and many 
others. When Schuyler was at Van 
Schaick's Island, it may be said that he 
had neither men, guns, or lead. The 
very desperation of his condition, and 
the efforts he made to remedy it reacted 
in lifting Gates over his shoulders." 

Mr. Winship : " But Schuyler was 
responsible for the bad condition of 
things ; why had he not collected the 
militia, prepared proper equipments, and 
placed himself in a secure position before 
this?" 

Judge Van Eyck: " Gates was the man. 
who should have done that, if it could 
have been done, which I doubt. He was 
in command of the Northern Depart- 
ment during the spring, when arrange- 
ments should have been perfected for the 
summer campaign. The lesson of years, 
the experience of every war in this coun- 
try, proved that the defenses of the Hud- 
son, with those of Lakes Champlain and 
George, would be the first objects of at- 
tack. During the previous winter, Gen- 
eral Schuyler's orders to his officers show 
the activity of his preparations for the 
coming campaign; and just as these orders 
might have become effective by the com- 
bination and direction they would receive 
from the controlling mind that had con- 
ceived them, their force was dissipated 
and destroyed by a change of command- 
ers, caused by the restless ambition of 
Gates, then at Ticonderoga. Thus were 
the affairs of the department in great 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



55 



confusion at the most important moment, 
for when Schuyler returned to the com- 
mand in June, Burgoyne was already 
prepared for his advance, which was 
made with great rapidity in the begin- 
ning." 

Colonel Shelby: " 1 think there is too 
much importance attached to the capa- 
bilities and actions of the commanders 
of the American army in this campaign. 
We are apt to forget the real condition of 
affairs that no immediate skill could 
remedy. The militia every where were 
reluctant to turn out, unless their own 
neighborhood was in danger, especially 
at a season when their crops were to be 
planted. The Continental army was not 
only small, but undisciplined; it could 
scarcely be said to have an organization 
until some months later, when Steuben 
began his system of training. The con- 
ception of a Nation to be established or 
defended had but a vague hold on the 
minds of the people. It was only the 
strong stimulus of fear, indignation or 
success, such as it was the good luck of 
General Gates to strike upon — caused 
then by the absolute invasion of peace- 
ful homes, the cruel murder of Jane 
McCrea, and the victory of Bennington 
— that could inspire the enthusiasm nec- 
essary to draw an army together, and 
push it to victory. And when such an 
array was collected, it became neces- 
sary to put it into immediate action, or it 
soon fell to pieces. It was this propen- 
sity to dissolve, perceptible to the quick 
eye of Arnold, that led him to write to 
Gates, even when he sat sullenly in camp 
without a command, saying that he felt 
in honor bound to disclose to him the 
restless impatience of his troops, who 



were threatening to leave the camp in large 
numbers, if they were not soon led into 
some active service." 

Mr. Winship: "Gates was only using 
a necessary precaution at that time, for 
he found great difficulty in obtaining in- 
formation of Burgoyne's movements, and 
he had but just begun the fortifications 
at Bemis' Heights." 

Colonel Shelby: " Yes; I remember 
that this uncertainty about Burgoyne's 
whereabouts is mentioned by Wilkinson 
in his memoirs. In his usual style, Wil- 
kinson makes himself the hero of a 
reconnoissance made by a detachment of 
Morgan's corps. The truth is that Bur- 
goyne's Indians had been too numerous 
and too shrewd for all the scouts sent 
out by Gates, who were either captured 
or deceived. It was finally determined 
that Morgan should select one of the 
most courageous and adroit of his offi- 
cers, who would advance as near as pos- 
sible to Burgoyne's camp, and obtain 
the necessary information, The duty 
was assigned to Lieutenant Hardin, who 
conducted it with skill and success. In 
Wilkinson's narration of this expedition, 
he pays a fine tribute to Hardin's ser- 
vices later in the war, while complacently 
putting him in the background on this 
occasion." 

Miss Van Eyck: " Father, is he ths Wil- 
kinson who says that Arnold was not on 
the battle field at Saratoga on the day 
of the first fight, and will give him no 
credit for the second battle? " 

Judge Van Eyck: " Well, Kate, I be- 
lieve the ladies — all ladies — are pleased, 
as you seem to be, with Arnold's crazy 
capers. He may have done some good 
service at Saratoga, but after all he was 



56 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



a reckless, headstrong scoundrel. I 
don't like like to find young people cher- 
ishing any sentimental regard for him." 

Mr. Winship: " It is a question, I think, 
when a man yields to a great temptation 
and commits an ignominious act, whether 
this should throw discredit on his former 
conduct." 

Judge Van Eyck: " I do not think it 
should. And I am sure that Arnold, in urg- 
ing upon Gates the necessity of meeting 
Burgoyne on the 19th of September, was 
actuated by the most honorable motives, 
and that liis judgment was correct; it is 
probable, too, that if Burgoyne had not 
been attacked as he was, that he would 
have driven Gates back to Albany, or 
further." 

The ladies ot the party now excused 
themselves, and wandered down to the 
lake shore. The gentlemen disposing 
themselves comfortably, and lighting 
their cigars, continued the conversation. 

Colonel Shelby: " Do you know it is 
frequently said now that neither of the 
battles of Saratoga were necessary? I do 
not know, Judge, whether you belong to 
the party that claims General Schuyler 
had ' bagged the game ' before General 
Gates arrived in camp. They say that 
Burgoyne's fate was inevitable from the 
time that Stark annihilated the German 
regiments at Bennington, Schuyler hav- 
ing previously stripped the country of 
provisions so completely as to paralyze 
Burgoyne's movements. You know it 
has been said that ' an army moves on 
its belly,' whicli is true; the strictest dis- 
cipline, the staunchest courage and best 
equipments are useless, if soldiers are 
poorly fed. In modern warfare, the 
commissariat is justly considered the 
heart of the army." 



Mr. Winship: "Confirming the adage, 
'that a man's heart lies in his stomach.' 
I can easily believe that his courage does; 
we are all liable to grow faint-hearted 
waiting for a long delayed meal." 

Judge Van Eyck: "It is certain that Bur- 
goyne's precarious position was owing in a 
large measure to this difficulty. * Every 
pound of pork he distributed was brought 
from Ireland; ' and among the three causes 
of failure specified by Burgoyne's latest 
biographer, one is a ' want of administra- 
tive arrangement and preparedness in 
the essentials of army supply.' Yet I 
am far from thinking that this scarcity of 
provisions would have led to Burgoyne's 
capture." 

Colonel Shelby: " Have you noticed 
some statements lately that assert it was 
St. Clair, instead of Sohuyler, who im- 
peded Wood Creek, and felled trees on 
the road between Skenesborough and 
Fort Edward? " 

Judge Van Eyck : " I have a sincere 
respect for General St. Clair, who suf- 
fered undeservedly so many misfortunes, 
but I am sure he would have indulged in 
a dry, incredulous smile at that sugges- 
tion. He was plodding his way through 
the wilderness from Castleton, and quite 
to the east, while Schuyler was destroy- 
ing the road between Skenesborough and 
Fort Edward, where St. Clair joined him 
after his mysterious disappearance of 
several days. It is true Colonel Long, 
of St. Clair's division, after his gallant 
fight of Fort Anne, had rocks rolled into 
the creek as he retreated, but this was a 
small matter compared with the work 
that was done. Schuyler's orders to 
Generals Fellows and Nixon, and many 
others, dated at Fort Edward, before St. 
Clair arrived, show what active measures 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



57 



he was taking to impede the roads, and 
to strip the country of provisions and 
wagons that might aid the enemy. He 
also gave the most careful orders in re- 
gard to the intimidation of tories, and 
encouragement of patriots, and for secur- 
ing the guns and stores at Fort George, 
and at the same time he was using the 
utmost vigilance to protect the western 
frontier. I tell you, sir ; the energy, the 
extraordinary business capacity and the 
unflinching courage of Schuyler, exer- 
cised at that time, when all was dark 
and threatening, saved the campaign of 
'77. It was at the very moment when 
Burgoyne considered himself invincible, 
and was prepared to push rapidly for- 
ward, that Schuyler, with a shattered, 
despairing, empty-handed squad of men, 
put shovels and axes in their hands, and 
urging, scolding, and imploring, pushed 
them right and left to turn the very trees 
and rocks into frowning defences and 
sheltering walls, that would conceal the 
weakness of his force." 

Mr. Winship : " I do not deny that, 
Judge, but why had Schuyler so weak a 
force ? Because he had not the qualities 
necessary to collect or keep an army, or 
keep it together at that time. His aris- 
tocratic, overbearing manners made him 
repulsive to the militia; he had no influ- 
ence over them, and his partizan feelings 
separated him from many of the officers. 
He could not stand even behind the de- 
fences he had made, but was compelled 
to retreat again and again. When Gates 
took the command, he immediately ad- 
vanced, posted himself in a strong po- 
sition, and then set about surrounding 
Burgoyne on every side. He succeeded 
in doing this, and thus he obviated the 



necessity for an open fight. I believe 
General Gates was right in wishing to 
avoid such a risk. Was it not a neces- 
sary precaution, Colonel ? " 

Colonel Shelby : "O, no, sir! You 
are mistaken. The Americans were 
much better at a dash or a skirmish in 
the woods than behind entrenchments. 
The plan of Burgoyne for the 19th of 
September, was a skillful one, and he had 
the means for success, while his chances 
were very fair. Gates had not com- 
pleted the entrenchments at Bemis' 
Heights. When he was informed of 
Burgoyne's advance, he had the baggage 
wagons packed, and they stood in long 
lines behind the camp the v/hole day, in 
readiness for a retreat, which he evi- 
dently thought would be necessary. If 
the army had remained quietly behind 
their works, as Gates intended they 
should do, it is highly probable that 
Burgoyne would have accomplished his 
design. In that event the American 
camp would have been laid open to him 
in the identical way in which the British 
camp was exposed to our troops after 
the capture of Breyman's redoubt, in 
the battle of the 7th. If Burgoyne had 
been permitted to advance but little 
further than he really did, when his 
forces encountered Morgan, he would 
have gained possession of the heights 
from which Morgan, in the last battle, 
hurled himself upon Frazer's five hun- 
dred. These heights commanded the 
left of the American camp, and Phillips' 
artillery would soon have bristled among 
those trees, and swept Gates from Bemis' 
Heights, as Burgoyne was swept from 
his camp on the night of the 7th of Oc- 
tober. No, sir ; it was not mere im[)a- 



58 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



tience that instigated Arnold ; he had 
the eye and the spirit of a soldier, wretch 
as he afterwards proved himself. His 
entreaties to be allowed to meet Bur- 
goyne's advance saved the American 
camp on the 19th of September, and the 
check received then was after all the 
first insurmountable obstacle that Bur- 
goyne had encountered. It was Arnold's 
desperate valor in the next contest that 
drove Burgoyne back upon his retreat, 
and into the terrible circle where the 
cautious Gates finally came up and se- 
cured him, and there is no doubt but the 
roar of Sir Henry Clinton's artillery on 
the lower Hudson caused him to let his 
game out on easy terms." 

Mr. Winship: " Well, really, Colonel, I 
thought you were going to take an im- 
partial view of these matters, but you 
are as prejudiced as the Judge. You 
must admit, however, that if Clinton 
had followed up the advantage he gained 
on the Hudson, as it was reasonable to 
suppose he would, there could have been 
no question about the importance of 
Gates' securing the surrender with all 
possible despatch." 

Colonel Shelby: " That is a strong 
point for General Gates; under the cir- 
cumstances, it was wise for him to hurry, 
but he had Burgoyne so completely in 
his power that he might easily have dic- 
tated his own terms. Did you ever no- 
tice, Judge, in the accounts of these 
battles how vaguely the American artill- 
ery is mentioned, and yet it evidently 
contributed largely to the successful re- 
sult? We are told the story of the can- 
non ball that struck the table around 
which Burgoyne and his officers sat while 
considering the necessity for capitula- 



tion, and we can realize how powerful 
an argument it was in hastening the de- 
cision. We hear poetic allusions to the 
cannon balls that fell among the officers 
who stood around Frazer's grave, and of 
other balls tearing through the house 
where Madame Riedesel and many 
wounded had taken refuge. She repeat- 
edly refers to the terrific cannonading, 
especially on the afternoon of the loth 
of October, when a halt was made at 
old Saratoga, and the British were thrown 
into 'great confusion and disorder; ' but 
all these hints are vague; there is no ac- 
count of the position in which the guns 
were placed, either during the battles or 
afterwards, but some of these positions 
are found on British military maps; and 
little mention of the officers who com- 
manded them." 

Judge Van Eyck: " You know, I sup- 
pose, that Major Stevens had command 
of the artillery of the Northern Depart- 
ment at that time. In the retreat from 
Ticonderoga, he took a number of his 
guns on the batteaux, but they were lost, 
of course, at Skenesborough. In Au- 
gust, he wrote from Stillwater to General 
Knox that he was actively engaged in 
preparations for an attack from the en- 
emy. He undoubtedly handled the ar- 
tillery very skillfully, not only in the 
battles of Saratoga, but in the intervals 
of waiting he gave Burgoyne continual 
reminders of the precarious position he 
occupied, and during the last days be- 
fore the armistice that preceded the 
surrender, the artillery harrassed the 
British incessantly. Major Stevens' con- 
duct was appreciated at the time, for 
he received a resolution of thanks from 
Congress for his efficient services, and 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



59 



strict attention to duty, while command- 
ing ofificer of artillery of the Northern 
Department." 

Colonel Shelby: " I am glad to know 
that. In fact, our best histories are 
very deficient in many particulars that 
are full of interest, and are of importance 
in any effort to understand the events of 
the revolutionary period. It is perhaps 
because the records of public men, their 
letters and official papers, are still in pos- 
session of private families, many of 
which do not know the value of the pa- 
pers they hold." 

Judge Van Eyck : " It is a subject 
on which the people need instruction, 
and in which their interest should be 
aroused. There is scarcely an event, 
or a single individual even remotely con- 
nected with the revolution that has not 
an historic interest. This was peculi- 
arly so in regard to private soldiers and 
subordinate officers, who were so often 
persons of influence outside of the army, 
and whose opinions and actions were of 
more consequence than their rank would 
indicate." 

Mr. Winship : That is true, Judge, 
and is the reason why the New England 
men were so often misunderstood and 
berated by Schuyler and other aristo- 
cratic New Yorkers. Every man from 
New England knew he was a power in 
himself." 

Judge Van Eyck : " Yes, they had 
conceit enough. That might have been 
overlooked if their actions had corres- 
ponded with their opinion of themselves, 
but unfortunately, when the fighting or 
hard service was at hand, they too often 
made off for home. They were an in- 
subordinate, hard-headed set." 



Mr. Winship : " Perhaps so, when 
under the direction of purse-proud Dutch 
New Yorkers. When officered by men 
in whom they had confidence, the New 
England militia were invincible. Re- 
member what they did at Bennington, at 
Saratoga, and in the detachments sent 
out by Lincoln." 

Judge Van Eyck : " Well, Mr. Win- 
ship, you and I will have to compromise. 
When you come down to my country 
house, you must read the letters and or- 
ders of General Schuyler, which furnish 
an authentic history of what he did, and 
endeavored to do during the Saratoga 
campaign. They are a complete vindi- 
cation of every charge that has been 
brought against him." 

Mr. Winship : " I will be glad to ob- 
tain any new information on this subject, 
but I am confident that although General 
Schuyler may be thoroughly vindicated, 
that General Gates cannot be justly the 
subject of censure. He must be ac- 
knowledged at all times as a skillful, hu- 
mane, and dignified commander, and 
the hero of Saratoga " 

Colonel Shelby : " I think, gentlemen, 
we had better go and find the ladies." 
It grows dark in-doors, and the gentlemen 
walk down the hill to the lake shore. 
They join the ladies who sit on the 
benches, or walk about enjoying the 
moonlight. A sail boat lies at anchor 
near the pier, and Mr. Winship proposes 
a sail. The boat is immediately se- 
cured ; he steps on board and adjusts 
the sails. Colonel Shelby follows, and 
takes the rudder. Miss Van Eyck seats 
herself near Mr. Winship, and Miss Pel- 
ham is beside the Colonel, who disposes 
his long limbs recliningly, and lingers over 



6o 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



his appointed work with a genuine spirit 
of relaxation. Mr. Winship \n\ts the lit- 
tle vessel under full sail, and they soon 
glide out toward Snake Hill. They chat 
merrily for a few minutes, but soon the 
silence of the night, the darkness of the 
water near them and its shimmering 
brightness in the distance; the undu- 
lating, wooded shores of the lake, ac- 
cented by its legend-haunted, strongly 
marked promontory, Snake Hill, the dis- 
tant sky that here seems lifted to such 
incomprehensible heights — all contribute 
to subdue gaiety and arouse deeper emo- 
tions. As they drift on the artificial 
world seems left behind. The conven- 
tionalisms of society disappear — Parisian 
elegancies, military restraint, Boston pos- 
itiveness, and shy dignity are forgotten; 
the simplicity and earnestness of na- 
ture asserts itself in the human soul, in 
harmony with the spirit that pervades 
the surrounding scene. Colonel Shelby 
in low tones and picturesque language 
tells a wild, tragic story of life in Neva- 
da; he speaks of the towering mountains 
and tumbling cataracts amid which the 
scene took place. 

Miss Pelham, in an awed voice: " Col- 
onel, your story oppresses me; T do not 
like to hear of those savage people, and 
the thought of their immense moun- 
tains is terrible; how much more pleas- 
ing are these sloping hills and this quiet 
lake; one could not imagine a tragedy 
taking place here." 

Miss Van Eyck, speaking gently: "It 
was not far from here that the awful 
tragedy of war was played. Perhaps 
you will all think that I am battle-struck, 
but my mind is full of this expedition to 
Bemis Heights, and I feel as if we might 



be going there now as we glide over this 
lake; it takes us so much nearer. Some 
of the people who fled before Burgoyne's 
army came on canoes through Fish 
Creek and into this lake. How anxious 
and yet indignant they must have been; 
how different from the peacefulness that 
we feel now ! — and yet the lake is as it 
was; how insignificant it makes one feel 
to think of this — that we come and go 
as time flows on and are never the same, 
and yet the hills, the waters and the sky 
remain fixed, immovable." 

Mr. Winship: "Not immovable, Miss 
Kate; they change, but under fixed laws, 
and so do we; no doubt we feel the same 
fears, anxieties and hopes that the peo- 
ple of those revolutionary times did, 
only our sensations are directed into 
other channels. Indignation and terror, 
despair and love, hold the same sway 
over us now as then." 

Miss Van Eyck, to Mr. Winship: 
" Don't you think Lady Ackland dis- 
played a more heroic love than any that 
can be found at the present day ? — and 
by the way, you said you could tell me 
something more about her than I yet 
know. Her adventures are an appropri- 
ate subject for such a place as this. How 
strangely she must have felt while in that 
little boat that carried her from the Brit- 
ish camp to the Americans; it was not a 
night like this, it was dark and stormy. 
But tell me, Mr. Winship, what you know 
of her." 

Mr. Winship: "I will. Miss Kate, 
most gladly, if you will first sing me a 
song." 

Miss Van Eyck, evidently in a yield- 
ing mood: "I will sing a song of the 
Hudson in a storm." 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



6l 



SONG. 

On thy bosom angry river, 

Still I safely rest and dream, 
Knowing thee a faithful lover, 
Though dark passions I discover 

Mid the lightnings fitful gleam. 

Oft when thou wert calmly smiling, 
Stormy griefs I whispered thee, 

And forgot them while reclining 

On thy bosom— thou beguiling 
Me to dreams of ecstasy. 

Now I love thee for thy raging. 

Like my soul's unrestful ways. 
Storms or sunshine thee engaging, 
Still my woes thou art assuaging, 
Lover thou who ne'er betrays. 

Soft and clear the rich tones of Kate 
Van Eyck's voice float out on the moon- 
lighted air. As she finishes, a deep 
quiet prevails. 

Mr. Winship in low, distinct tones: 

" 'To gallant Gates, in war serenely brave, 
The tide of fortune turns its refluent wave; 
Forced by his arms, the bold invaders yield 
The prize and glory of the well-fought field: 
Bleeding and lost the captured Ackland lies — .' 

He is in the hands of the enemy, quite 
helpless, wounded in both legs. His 
valet, who is warmly attached to him, 
is groping about in the darkness among 
the wounded on the open field, in the 
chill, autumn night, peering into dead 
and suffering faces, examining the cloth- 
ing of the killed and mangled, patiently 
passing from group to group of prostrate 
officers and men in his sad search. He 
forgets that he is approaching the ene- 
my, but is suddenly reminded of their 
proximity by a sudden shock and fall; 
in struggling to rise he finds himself 
wounded in the shoulder. Bleeding 
profusely, it is with difficulty he gets back 
to the camp." 



Miss Van Eyck : " Was he the same 
man who saved his master's life when the 
tent was burning ?" 

Mr. Winship : " I don't think he was. 
Major Ackland seems to have inspired 
an ardent affection in all who surrounded 
him. The man who twice in the same 
night risked his life to save the Major's, 
was a sergeant. The tent occupied by 
Major Ackland and his wife took fire 
from a candle upset by a favorite dog. 
Lady Ackland was soon aroused, and 
crept out under the side of the tent, at 
the same time the sergeant entered it. 
He found the Major in a profound sleep 
and carried him out in his arms. As 
soon as contact with the air had aroused 
the sleeper, he saw the condition of af- 
fairs, and not knowing that his wife had 
escaped, he immediately rushed into the 
flames to rescue her. He was overcome 
with the fire and smoke, and would prob- 
ably have been smothered had not the 
sergeant followed him and again dragged 
him from the flames." 

Miss Pelham : " Wasn't it strange 
they should have a pet dog on such an 
expedition ?" 

Mr. Winship : " Many of the officers 
had dogs. They were probably hunting 
dogs, and no doubt they expected to 
have much pleasure hunting in the wild 
forests of New York. They tell of a dog 
belonging to Lord Balcarras, that had a 
curious escape from death when the 
army encamped at Crown Point, on its 
way down the lake." 

Colonel Shelby : " Did you know the 
Earl Balcarras was a very young man, 
and ' fleshed his maiden sword ' at Hub- 
bardton ? " 

Mr. Winship: "An interesting fact, 



62 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



Colonel, but to continue my story : 
large trees were being cut down. One 
of them fell directly on the dog, and by 
its weight seemed to bury him in the 
earth. The dog was unusually intelli- 
gent and quick ; he had became a favor- 
ite in the camp — there was a general 
rush for his rescue by the soldiers 
around. Some of them said it was no 
use trying to get him out of his hole; of 
course he was dead, but others chopped 
dihgently at the great tree, and soon 
lifted the heavy log from his back, when 
to the astonishment of all, the dog trot- 
ted off in apparently good condition and 
spirits." 

Colonel Shelby : " He must have been 
imbedded in soft, alluvial soil in such a 
way as to relieve him of the weight of 
the tree and the force of its fall." 

Miss Van Eyck : " Do you know 
whether Lady Ackland was as beautiful 
as she was lovely in character ?" 

Mr. Winship : I have seen a print 
of her from a portrait by Rivers — one of 
the most interesting faces I ever saw ; 
the features are classical and the express- 
ion spiritual; the dress, too, is pictur- 
esque. You can easily believe her to 
have been one of those women who give 
and inspire an extraordinary affection, 
one that would stimulate a man to great 
deeds, that would keep active the higher 
sentiments of his nature," 

Colonel Shelby : " Ton my word, 
Winship, I don't like to spoil your pretty 
romance, but I have no doubt but Ack- 
land was just such a wine-bibbing, fox- 
hunting fellow as the rest of those British 
officers." 

Mr. Vv'inship : " But we know, Colo- 
nel, that Ackland not only performed 



heroic deeds on every field, and was 
repeatedly wounded, but that he was 
actuated by high and honorable senti- 
ments. The very fact that these traits 
were not swallowed up in the indulgence 
of coarser tastes shows that there was 
some strong influence at work to coun- 
teract sensuality, and keep active his 
higher nature. The conduct of Lady 
Ackland, as well as her appearance, indi- 
cate that hers was the purifying spirit 
that guided and influenced him. When 
she joined her husband in the American 
camp, she was received by General Gates 
with the greatest tenderness and respect. 
Indeed, I think it is hard to suppose 
that a man who showed as manly and 
noble traits in his treatment of women 
as Gates always did, should have been a 
coward. Surely, Colonel, we can draw 
as just a conclusion from this, as the 
Judge did from General Schuyler's horse- 
manship." 

Colonel Shelby : " Perhaps so. But 
he must indeed have been a miserable 
poltroon who would have done less for 
Lady Ackland, arriving in camp under 
such circumstances." 

Mr. Winship : " Her husband soon 
recovered, Miss Kate; but after their 
return to England he was shot in a duel 
caused by his defence of the valor of the 
American troops. The sudden shock of 
his death affected Lady Ackland's mind ; 
she was insane two years, but was finally 
restored and found consolation in the 
affection of Mr. Brudenell, whom she 
afterwards married. He was the chap- 
lain who performed the ceremony at 
Frazer's funeral, and he had also accom- 
panied Lady Ackland on that perilous 
boat-ride between the two camps; her 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



63 



husband's faithful valet, although wound- 
ed, also went with her. A sister of Lady 
Ackland, Lady Susan O'Brien (they 
were both daughters of Lord Holland) 
was visiting, at the beginning of the revo- 
lution, Sir William Johnson, in the Mo- 
hawk valley. No doubt the sisters were 
together in Canada, before Lady Harriet 
joined her husband at Skenesborough. 
I believe she wrote a narrative of the 
campaigns in which she followed the 
army in America. 



IV. 



*' After the thunder-storm our heaven is blue : 
Far off, along the borders of the sky, 
In silver folds the clouds of battle lie, 
With soft consoling sunlight shining through; 
And round the sweeping circle o( yon hills 
The crashing cannon-thrills 
Have faded from the memory of the air. 

And Summer pours from unexhausted fountains 
Her bliss on yonder mountains : 
The camps are tenantless ; the breastworks 

bare : 
Earth keeps no stain where hero-blood was 
poured : 
The hornets humming on their wings of lead, 
Have ceased to sting, their angry swarms are 
dead, 
And, harmless in its scabbard, rusts the sword !" 

The day is shadowy. A brilliant sun 
rides high in the heavens above a pale 
blue, far-reaching sky. Great drifting 
silvery clouds float slowly from the east, 
throwing dark shadows on the distant 
hills and fields — and one, a van-guard, 
casts its gloom so long over the broad 
street facing the great hotels, that the 
day seems dark. Under its softened 
light, Kate Van Eyck strolls quietly, pen- 
sively across the lawn from the cottage 



piazza, Mr. Winship following her silent- 
ly. They join the other members of 
their party who are starting for their ride 
to the battle ground. Mrs. Harris is al- 
ready seated in the landau, Miss Van 
Eyck, Mr. Winship and Judge A^an Eyck 
take their places with her, and they are 
driven off toward the lake on Union 
Avenue. 

Colonel Shelby and Miss Pelham have 
decided to visit Schuylerville instead of 
Bemis Height, and the Colonel turns the 
heads of the horses that draw their light 
buggy towards the Town Hall, where 
they turn into Lake Avenue, and thence 
follow the Schuylerville road. 

Miss Pelham : " Colonel, I do not 
intend to forget Kate's admonition to 
ask you for information about Schuyler- 
ville." 

Colonel Shelby: "It is the place, Miss 
Pelham, where the surrender of Bur- 
goyne took place, and near where the vil- 
lage of old Saratoga stood, and also 
where Schuyler's handsome country res- 
idence was burned by Burgoyne on his 
retreat." 

Miss Pelham: " I once saw a picture 
of Mrs. Schuyler setting fire to a field; 
had that anything to do with it ? " 

Colonel Shelby, smiling: "Well, no; 
not with Burgoyne's fire. She had taken 
her furniture out of the house and re- 
turned to Albany some time before he 
arrived, but when she was leaving she 
set fire to the grain to prevent it from 
falling into his hands." 

Miss Pelham: "Did you say there 
was a monument at Schuylerville ?" 

Colonel Shelby, evidently amused at 
Miss Pelham's eagerness to obtain in- 
formation at the dictation of Miss Kate: 



64 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



"Not yet, but it is proposed to put one 
tliere in commemoration of the battles 
of Saratoga." 

Miss Pelham, perplexedly: "But I 
thought the battles were not fought there. 
You see, Colonel, I am hopelessly mixed 
when it comes to military matters. But 
do enlighten me about this monument." 
Colonel Shelby: " It is claimed that 
the place of surrender is a proper loca- 
tion for the monument, as being the cul- 
minating point of a long series of stra- 
tegic movements and conflicts. My 
preference would be for the field where 
the battles took place, some miles below. 
Tlie two principal contests were upon the 
same ground, and there, where the blood 
was shed and the retreat began which 
led to the surrender, seems a more suita- 
ble place." 

Miss Pelham: "I think it is a pity to 
put anything worth seeing in either of 
these out-of-the-way places. Who will 
ever go to look at them; " adding play- 
fully: " I am sure we never would hav- 
thought of such a thing if Kate had 
not taken a freak in her head about some 
romantic incidents in the battles that 
pleased her. She has not let any of us rest 
since; we had to come in self-defence." 
Colonel Shelby: " I do not consider 
the seclusion of either of these places an 
objection. The battle-field, where the 
rest of the party are going, would be, in 
its retirement, the very place where a 
person like Miss Van Eyck, for instance, 
who has a genuine sentiment about such 
things, might feel most strongly the as- 
sociations of the place and recall most 
vividly the events which were commem- 
orated. It is also but a continuation of 
th.' favorite drive to Saratoga lake. 



Miss Pelham: "What else am I to 
remember at Schuylerville; was there no 
fighting at all there ? 

Colonel Shelby: "Yes, there was a 
skirmish that came near being an un- 
lucky affair for the Americans, but they 
retreated in time to save themselves ; it 
was not an event in which we can feel 
much pride. There was some skillful 
cannonading there by the Americans for 
a few days before the surrender, and it is 
where Madame Riedesel spent those 
dreadful nights in a cellar." 

Miss Pelham: "Don't tell me anything 
about that. Battles are quite grand in 
the abstract, but I don't like the particu- 
lars." 

In the meantime the remainder of the 
party on the other road, in the landau, 
are passing the gate of the race course. 

Miss Van Eyck, addressing Mrs. Har- 
ris: " You have not told me that second 
version of the story of Jane McCrea, 
who was murdered by the Indian allies 
of Burgoyne; we will soon get to the lake 
and I would like to hear it before I leave 
you." 

Mrs. Harris : " I suppose you know 
the most generally accepted account of 
it?" 

Miss Van Eyck: "The school histories 
tell us that Lieutenant Jones, a tory, in 
Burgoyne's army, was betrothed to Jane 
McCrea; that he sent a party of Indians 
to bring her from Fort Edward to the 
British camp near there, and promised 
them a barrel of whiskey as a reward if 
they would bring her in safety. I think he 
was a very inconsiderate lover; well, you 
know the Indians quarreled about the 
whiskey they were to get and tomahawk- 
ed Jane McCrea on the road " 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



65 



Mrs. Harris: " But the lover did not 
offer the whiskey as a reward, and he did 
not send for her either. I think those 
facts are well established, although there 
are several different versions of the trag- 
edy. All agree that Jenny lived with her 
brother, near Fort Edward, and that he 
was a whig, who wished to leave his home 
as the British advanced and take refuge 
in Albany. At this time Jenny was at 
Fort. Edward, visiting her tory friend 
Mrs. McNeil, who was a relative of Gen- 
eral Frazer. Jenny's brother sent repeat- 
ed messages for her to join him. She 
delayed, probably quite willing for the 
British to arrive, as her lover was with 
them. Finally yielding to the entreaties 
of her brother, she prepared to leave in 
a batteau on a certain evening. On the 
morning of that very day a marauding 
party of Indians burst into the house of 
Mrs. McNeil and dragged her and Jenny 
out of a cellar, where they had concealed 
themselves, and carried them off as pris- 
oners. Jenny, in her fright, promised 
them a large reward if they would spare 
her life and take her in safety to the 
British camp. This was the reward they 
quarreled over, as stated by a niece of 
Jenny. She was carried away on horse- 
back, but Mrs. McNeil was so large and 
heavy that the Indians could not get her 
on a horse, and they pulled her along by 
both arms, and frequently compelled her 
to fall on her face, as they did them- 
selves, to avoid the bullets of the Ameri- 
cans, who were pursuing them. A grand- 
daughter of Mrs. McNeil has said that 
the Indians told her grand-mother that 
Jane McCrea was shot by the Americans 
who were pursuing them; that they only 
scalped her after she was dead- Mrs. 



McNeil believed this, because her own 
life had been endangered in the same 
way, and because a larger reward was of- 
fered for prisoners brought into the camp 
alive than for scalps. This theory of the 
tragedy has been adopted by several of 
the later riarrators." 

Judge Van Eyck : " I think if any 
such representation had been made by 
the Indians at the time of the murder, 
Burgoyne would gladly have availed him- 
self of it, and have made it known; but, 
on the contrary, he was anxious to punish 
the murderer, and was only deterred 
from doing so by the representations and 
solicitations of de Luc. I have no doubt 
but the Indians tomahawked her. It was 
not an unusual occurrence, but the ex- 
citement of the time gave it great impor- 
tance. Inhuman cruelty was attributed 
to the whole British army, who sheltered 
the savages, and it waked up the militia 
and sent them to the American camp." 

Mrs. Harris: " I had supposed, Judge, 
that the family of Jenny were all whigs, 
but I see in Burgoyne's biography there 
is reference to a letter, written by one of 
her brothers to General Burgoyne, some 
years after the war, soliciting his influ- 
ence for an appointment in the army. It 
seems General Burgoyne endorsed this 
letter with a few lines, in which he ex- 
pressed his gratification at having this 
proof that the family of Miss McCrea 
believed that he had acted with humanity 
and honor at the time of her murder; and 
he also says that he was able to obtain 
the appointment desired." 

Miss Van Eyck: '' What became of the 
lover, Mrs. Harris? " 

Mrs. Harris: "As soon as he was 
charged with having sent for Jenny, he 



66 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



offered his resignation as Lieutenant in 
the army. It was not accepted. One 
account says he fought desperately in the 
battles at Saratoga, and was killed; but 
the more authentic one states that he de- 
serted immediately after the death of 
Jenny, and went to Canada. He bought 
her scalp from the Indian who had taken 
it; her hair had been beautiful, dark 
brown, and over a yard long. Lieuten- 
ant Jones preserved this sad memento as 
long as he lived, and I think he was an 
old man when he died. Every July, as 
the anniversary of the sad event ap- 
proached, he would seclude himself en- 
tirely from his friends, and they never 
at any time referred to the Revolution 
in his presence." 

Mr. Winship: "I have seen Jane Mc- 
Crea's grave at Fort Edward. Do you 
know how they recovered her body? " 

Mrs. Harris: " It was found by the pur- 
suing Americans near the spot where she 
was killed, and they sent it to her brother 
on the very batteau in which she ex- 
pected to have gone down the river to 
meet him. She was buried on the banks 
of the Hudson, and many years after- 
wards her remains were removed to the 
cemetery at Fort Edward." 

They arrive at the Lake House, and 
alight for a short time. Miss Van Eyck's 
horse Guido is awaiting her there. She 
mounts him, and followed by her groom, 
turns to the right, and goes slowly down 
the long hill, past the Brigg's House, and 
over the bridge that crosses the " nar- 
rows." The steady clamp, clamp of 
Guido's feet on the bridge seems to make 
more palpable the quietness of the placid 
scene of beauty before her. The lake 
lies motionless, and in Kate's mind it 



harmonizes with her calm expectancy of 
pleasure in the final object of her ride. 
Following along the road, she passes 
through a cool, shady marsh, where the 
varied stems of the willows and the ten- 
der ferns and grasses underneath give 
variety and interest even to this tame 
spot. The road now follows close to the 
lake shore, and Guido, seemingly tired of 
his dull paces, voluntarily starts off at a 
brisk canter, and brings her quickly to 
the Cedar Bluff Hotel, which she passes, 
and then turns to the left, moving more 
slowly up the long hill. When near the 
top, she glances suddenly off to the 
northwest, and is so strongly impressed 
with the distant mountain view that she 
checks her horse entirely, and turns to 
enjoy it. As the landau approaches, the 
Judge orders William to stop. 

Judge Van Eyck: "I am glad you 
stopped here, Kate. When going to the 
White Sulphur Spring, one day last sum- 
mer, with a gentleman familiar with this 
region, we took a turn up this hill, and 
he pointed out the different ranges of 
mountains that we can see from this 
place. Do you notice how those two 
ranges lie, one over the other? " 

Mr. Winship: "Yes; they are quite 
distinct upon a second look, though at 
first they seemed to be but one. There 
is a break in the forward range." 

Judge Van Eyck: "That is the Pal- 
mertown range; it divides and surrounds 
Lake George. Far to the north you see 
a few high knolls that lie at the head of 
that lake. Now follow down a short dis- 
tance to the gap you speak of. That is 
where the Hudson breaks through this 
Palmertown range. You see that range 
dwindles down as it nears the village. 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



67 



They tell me its terminus is at Glen 
Mitchell, or rather North Broadway in 
Saratoga Springs. The higher range be- 
yond is the Kayadrossera, which shows 
almost an unbroken line as it descends. 
Now look across the lake." 

Miss Van Eyck: " O, see, father, how 
beautiful ! The whole extent of the lake 
lies beneath us; " pointing southward. 
"What mountains are those beyond it? " 

Judge Van Eyck : " Those are the 
northern peaks of the Catskills." 

Mrs. Harris: " How could we have been 
at Saratoga so often and so long without 
hearing of this fine view? Judge, I am 
really disposed to reproach you for not 
bringing us sooner." 

Judge Van Eyck: "Well, I had for- 
gotten it, although I was much impressed 
with it when I first came here, and I re- 
member now that Mr. Jones, who was 
with me, said there was a still more ex- 
tensive lookout from a hill two or three 
miles beyond this. I think we go over 
it to-day. Kate, you had better let us 
take the lead now." 

Mr. Winship has alighted from the 
carriage and stands near Kate: " I real- 
ize now the advantage you have in being 
on horseback. You can enjoy the beau- 
tiful landscape at every turn without 
effort. I did not know that such views 
were to be seen on this ride." 

Miss Van Eyck: " This is an unex- 
pected pleasure, and I congratulate my- 
self upon having persevered in my de- 
sire to go in this way." 

They now ride rapidly on, turning to 
the left at the top of the hill, and enter- 
ing a chestnut grove whose dense shade is 
restful to the eyes after gazing intently 
over the water and at the distant views. 



To Kate especially is this secluded, wind- 
ing road in the thick forest a delight; 
she lets the reins hang loosely on Guido's 
neck as he walks slowly and daintily on, 
her mind still filled with thoughts 
suggested by the distant, misty hills. 
Coming out of the woods she sees t'.ie 
carriage, a mere speck, and seemingly sta- 
tionary before her; hurrying on she finds 
them waiting for her, as here, at the cross- 
roads near the red school-house, they 
fear she may mistake the way. They 
now all keep on the direct road up 
another extended hill, and Kate gallop- 
ing ahead, reaches the summit first, turns 
abruptly and waves her handkerchief. 
The carriage comes up. 

Miss Van Eyck: "This must be the 
hill you were telling us of. Do have the 
carriage thrown entirely open so you can 
stand up and see it all. There, father, 
are the two ranges of mountains you 
showed us on the other hill, only they 
look higher and more irregular from this 
point, and we can see so much further 
north; are those the Lake George moun- 
tains? and, oh look! in the opposite di- 
rection. I do believe there is ' The Old 
Man of the Mountain; ' see, Mrs. Harris, 
there are other mountains south ot that, 
and turn quite around, there is still 
another range entirely separate. Is not 
this magnificent? I was never in such 
an ampitheatre before. Can you see 
them all ? " 

Mr. Winship: "Indeed, Miss Kate, 
this is very fine. Those are doubtless 
the Green Mountains and the Hudson 
river hills you have pointed out toward 
the east, and there is the veritable ' Old 
Man of the Mountains ' in the Catskills, 
lying on his back as usual." 



68 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



Judge Van Eyck: "Kate, those are 
the high hills of Lake George to the 
north, and the Kayadrossera chain breaks 
up into peaks there to the northwest. 
We must have a view of one thousand 
square miles under our eyes here. Sara- 
toga ought to make more stir about such 
a ride as this, and have guide-boards 
with directions to these hills; the last one 
was Caldwell's — this is Summit; but 
come, we must be moving on." 

They proceed cautiously down the 
long, uneven slope and soon leave the 
pine-crowned hill on the left, where they 
turn sharply to the right and drive over 
a smooth road through a lovely circular 
valley to the Quaker meeting house, 
where Kate, who is in advance, stops for 
directions as she comes to a cross road. 

Miss Van Eyck, as they approached: 
"Which way, father?" 

Judge Van Eyck: " To the right again. 
This is the main road from Quaker 
Springs to Bemis' Heights. Across the 
hills where this road now runs was a part 
of the battle ground. The road follows 
just about the course that must have been 
taken by Arnold when he made his first 
charge against the Hessians in the last 
battle, but we have quite a drive yet 
before reaching that part of the road. I 
think it will be better for us to go to 
Freeman's Farm first." 

Mrs. Harris : "That will be the most 
interesting spot, because the heaviest 
fighting in both battles was there." 

At the next cross road they turn to the 
left and in a few minutes stop before the 
house on Freeman's Farm. They alight 
and enter, and find the hostess very ami- 
able and glad to tell them all she knows 
that will interest them. She also shows 



them the relics that have been ploughed 
up on the farm. There are musket balk, 
a twenty-four pound cannon ball, buckles 
and buttons bearing the number of Brit- 
ish regiments, and the jaw bone of a man 
with the teeth still preserved. They are 
told that just beyond a little knoll near 
the house the blood run a foot deep; a 
statement they take with a grain of al- 
lowance; and yet one may believe that 
it was indeed a sanguinary spot, for just 
there Balcarras made his heroic defence 
against Arnold's mad attack and succeed- 
ed in repulsing him. He held the redoubt 
upon this place until Burgoyne moved 
his army during the night after the 
battle. 

Judge Van Eyck, while they all stand 
on the site of the old redoubt- "Which 
is Burgoyne's hill, as it is called?" A 
high knoll, covered with trees of a light 
growth, and surrounded by a ravine, is 
pointed out across the road, but some 
distance back from it. " That, Kate, is 
really Breyman's hill; at least it is where 
the redoubt was located, which he de- 
fended. There were earthworks between 
this redoubt and that. In the last bat- 
tle the Massachusetts regiments broke 
through these works about the time of 
Arnold's repulse here by Balcarras. See- 
ing the advantage they had gained, Ar- 
nold, with Learned's regiment, dashed 
around from here to the hill where Brey- 
man was, and succeeded in getting pos- 
session of that. Breyman was killed at 
his guns, and his men all driven away. 
Arnold was also wounded there; but the 
Americans held the redoubt, and you 
can see how it gave them the command 
of the whole British camp, and made it 
necessary for Burgoyne to abandon his 



A VISIT TO THE 15ATTLE GROUND 



69 



position. We will now go to the sight of 
Frazer's camp, in the pine woods just 
across the road." 

Mrs. Harris: "I think, Judge, that we 
have lingered so long on the way that we 
had better take our lunch at once, and 
make further investigations afterwards." 

Judge Van Eyck; " A good suggestion, 
Madame; and if you like a genuine pic- 
nic, those woods are just the place for it. 
Robert, have the coffee boiled, and buy 
some milk here at the farm-house. Bring 
the feed for your horses to the woods; 
the ladies will ride over." 

They entered the woodland through 
an opening in the fence, where the old 
military road, constructed by Burgoyne 
for the advance of his army to Free- 
man's Farm, was plainly visible. Alight- 
ing from the carriage, and turning a little 
to the right, they soon found an open yet 
■shaded place to spread their lunch on the 
ground. The wraps and cushions from 
the carriage were disposed around, and 
lounging on them in oriental fashion, 
with sharpened appetites, the whole party 
enjoyed the informal repast. Light- 
hearted jests, animated discussions about 
the next thing to be done, and good- 
natured disputes, caused a pleasant hour 
to slip away unheeded upon the very 
spot where, " all day long the noise of 
battle rolled." The lunch is over. 

Mrs. Harris, walking to a small stream 
near the fence: " Judge, what ravine is 
this? Will you show it to me on the 
map?" 

Judge Van Eyck: "Yes. You see that 
is a small branch of the north ravine, 
which is behind us. It ran in front of 
the British camp down by the river, and 
then passed through the camp, as you 



find it in this place. Do you see here 
on the map that the bridge across the 
north ravine is just above the fork made 
by this small one? " 

Miss Van Eyck: "Come, father, I am 
sure we know that map by heart; let 
us go and look for the bridge." 

Mr. Winship: "Wait a few minutes, 
Miss Kate; I want to take another look. 
I see. Judge, it is quite easy to find on 
the map the exact spot where we have 
lunched." 

Judge Van Eyck: "This is in front of 
the north ravine. Now stand up and 
look across the fields. You can trace 
the line of the middle ravine, which lay 
between the two camps. You can see 
Bemis' Heights and Neilson's Farm, 
where the American camp lay. There 
was also a ravine in front of that, and 
one behind it." 

Mr. Winship: "The ground seems 
to have been well chosen by both 
commanders. We are coming, Miss 
Kate." 

They follow the military road back 
through the woods for a few rods. 

Mrs. Harris: "Here is the bridge; a 
very modern one, by the way, which 
seems singular, as the road does not 
seem to have been used, and looks as if 
it might have remained undisturbed in 
the forest all these years." 

Judge Van Eyck: " This road was 
only discovered or noticed two years 
ago, and there was then no bridge over 
the ravine, but distinct marks of the old 
bridge could be seen; this new bridge 
covers the same place. This forest has 
remained untouched since the revolu- 
tionary time. You can see how these 
few acres have been left, and how in the 



TO 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



clearings all around the old relics of the 
past, earthworks and roads have been 
ploughed up, and are quite lost." 

Miss Van Eyck: " This is a beautiful 
glen, with the water tumbling over the 
rocks. Didn't you tell me, Mrs. Harris, 
that these ravines would all be dry? " 

Mrs. Harris: " I supposed they would, 
for I have heard that all the small water 
courses in this country had become 
greatly reduced, or were quite dried up." 

Miss Van Eyck and Mrs. Harris linger 
on the little bridge, Judge Van Eyck and 
Mr. Winship pass over, ascend the slope 
on the other side and walk on a few 
yards. 

Mr. Winship: "Look at this. Judge; 
here is another road, branching off from 
the one we have followed." 

Judge Van Eyck: "This is, indeed, 
clearly another road of the same kind; 
let us follow it. You see it is graded in 
the same way. There were in those times 
no roads in New York as carefully and 
skilfully graded as these are. You can 
easily see the difference between these 
and the country roads we have been rid- 
ing over to-day. Take a look now up 
and down this ravine, and at the sur- 
rounding country. Do you see that where 
that little bridge crosses the ravine is the 
only place that an army could have been 
taken over without the construction of a 
very long bridge, and a far greater ex- 
penditure of time and labor than Bur- 
goyne used. He had skilfull engineers. 
This road you have just pointed out must 
have been made to carry the artillery and 
stores to Breyman's and Balcarras' re- 
doubts." 

Mr. Winship: "Do you think, Judge, 
that these can be the old ruts made by the 



artillery and wagons in Burgoyne's time? 
Would they not have been filled up lon^ 
ago by the deposit of leaves and dirt?" 

Judge Van Eyck: " It is said that a de- 
pression of four inches in the earth will 
be perceptible for a much longer time. 
This road has been sheltered by the for- 
rest, and there can really be no doubt 
about these old roads; it is not only that 
they show in themselves what they are, 
but they correspond exactly with the- 
roads on the military maps, drawn at the 
time." 

Mr. Winship: " This then is one of the 
plainest and most interesting land-marks 
of the revolutionary period that we pos- 
sess; but the glaring new boards on that 
bridge make one think that the old will 
soon be lost in the new." 

Judge Van Eyck: " I think, Mr. Win- 
ship, that the most suitable commemora- 
tion of the battles that could be made 
would be a purchase of part of Freeman's 
Farm, including this little woodland. Al- 
though the battle of the 7th began off on 
the hills, the British were soon driven 
back here, where the fighting of the 19th 
took place. If this place was preserved 
without change, it would be interesting 
in itself, and in the course of time a 
monument could be erected upon it." 

They join the ladies and it is decided 
that they will ride down to the river, a 
distance of two miles or more. The pub- 
lic road passing Freeman's Farm is fol- 
lowed. They go over a succession of 
irregular and very steep hills, they make 
various surmises as to the probable lo- 
cality of Burgoyne's headquarters, which 
they know they must pass on the way. 
The middle ravine is plainly seen as they 
proceed. It grows wilder and more 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



71 



rugged and the hills more precipitous. 
They can understand now why the col- 
umns of Burgoyne's army were so widely 
separated on their advance; they must 
either go on the river road or far to the 
west. It would be impossible to drag 
artillery over these hills and glens. It 
becomes more and more evident that the 
American position was well chosen. Ap- 
proaching near the river they cross one of 
the ravines on a precarious bridge; they 
see Wilbur's basin on the right and cross 
the canal bridge, then turn sharply to the 
left on the river road. 

Miss Van Eyck, coming to the side of 
the landau: "This is just like the pic- 
tures with which we are familiar; there 
are the three hills on which the British 
tents are always seen in the pictures. 
The middle one must be where Frazer is 
buried. See, there are the two trees, 
the grass covering most of the slope, 
and even the man with his plough ; he 
must have come out on purpose to com- 
plete the view. What a beautiful place 
this is; no wonder Frazer chose it for his 
burial." 

Mrs. Harris: " It must have been here 
that Lady Ackland embarked in the little 
boat that was to take her to the Ameri- 
can camp. No, that was at Coveville. 

Judge Van Eyck: " It was just here, too, 
that the British army was huddled to- 
r;ether on the night after the lost battle. 
Look behind you at the tlats where the 
river bends a little and you will see where 
the Americans posted tliemselves when 
tliey followed Burgoyne that night; and 
just on that rise of ground Major Stevens 
must have planted the cannon that made 
such sad work at the funeral. You can 
see how impossible it was for Burgoyne 



to remain here long. Shall we now ride 
up the river to the house where Frazer 
died?" 

Mr. Winship: " I think it will be more 
interesting, as we cannot see all these 
places to-day, to visit Bemis' Heights, 
below this; it will probably be a pleasant 
drive down the river." 

Mrs. Harris: '' Let us follow Mr. Win- 
ship's suggestion. I do not want to re- 
turn without seeing the exact position of 
the American camp." 

Miss Van Eyck: " Before we go, let 
us walk up the hill, and see if there is 
anything to mark Frazer's grave." 

Mrs. Harris: "You will find nothing 
there, Kate, more than can be seen from 
here; yet I am sure it was a false charge 
made by some of the British, in which 
they stated that the Americans had 
opened the grave and scattered the bones 
of the hero in their search for chests of 
gold that they believed had been buried 
with him." 

William:'" But, Judge, they did find big 
chests of money some where out here, 
and not very long ago. I heard about 
a workman on a farm, who found one of 
these chests. The farmer made him give 
it up to him, because it was found on 
his land. Soon afterwards the workman 
bought himself a farm; so they knew he 
must have got a good deal of the money." 

Judge Van Eyck: "It is not improb- 
able that some money may have been 
found, as the British might very naturally 
have buried it before the retreat, to pre- 
vent it from falling into the hands of the 
Americans. We must go down the river 
now. Drive on, William." 

They have a beautiful ride of about 
two miles over the flats and near the 



72 



A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



river, when they reach the site of the old 
Bemis House. Here they turn to the 
right, and begin the long and gradual 
ascent to the heights. This road they ob- 
serve, as they examine the map, follows 
the line of the American camp, and runs 
along a ridge, with a ravine in front and 
behind. The remains of an old cellar 
on the left indicate the place of General 
Gates headquarters. Finally reaching 
the height, a turn to the right soon brings 
them to the Neilson House, where Mor- 
gan and Poor had their headquarters. 
Part of the original building is still stand- 
ing, and in it the room where Lady 
Ackland was conducted to the bedside 
of her wounded husband. The house is 
still owned and occupied by descendants 
of the family to whom it then belonged. 
They have many relics that have been 
found on the farm, arrow points, balls, 
bayonets, camp spoons, and otiier things 
suggestive of the great conflicts or the 
camp life of the contestants. These are 
examined by the visitors, who also have 
pointed out to them the remains of the 
earthworks that may still be seen. Judge 
Van Eyck now hurries his party home 
over the road leading to Quaker Springs. 
Between Neilson's Farm and Freeman's 
Farm they pass over a part of the battle- 
field, and with the aid of their map they 
locate the positions of the different corps 
of troops, as they are represented there. 
Kate Van Eyck rides close to the car- 
riage, and makes inquiries, or points out 
such places as she believes have an espe- 
cial interest. 

As they continue their ride home, the 
gorgeous sunset seems to be repeated 
again and again, as it is lost under the 



shadow of some great hill, to be found 
once more as they emerge from its dark- 
ened side. The lake still lies in a pro- 
found calm, only repeating with startling 
distinctness the undulating line of its 
shores with their fringe of trees. As 
they near the village, the moon comes 
out in full splendor. 

Mrs. Harris: " What a glorious day we 
have had. Judge; the moon seems to 
appear now to put a climax on its per- 
fections." 

Mr. Winship: " It has been a most en- 
joyable day, and I have never visited a 
battle field with more satisfaction. It is 
generally difficult to realize the connec- 
tion between the place and the event; 
but the locations of the two camps, with 
the battle ground between, on the Sara- 
toga field suggests vividnesss of recol- 
lection that is unusual." 

They reach the hotel, alight and pass 
into their cottage. Colonel Shelby and 
Miss Pelham are sitting on the front 
piazza, waiting for their arrival. Col- 
onel Shelby assists Miss Van Eyck from 
her horse. 

Colonel Shelby: " I hope your antici- 
pations have been fulfilled; that you have 
had a pleasant day." 

Miss Van Eyck: " It has been more 
than delightful. Before I went I had a 
lurking fear that when I actually got upon 
the battle ground all my imaginations 
about it would take flight — that it would 
be only an every day field and common- 
place hills, but it was not so. As I rode 
over the ground I did realize that it was 
sacred to a great cause — that it had been 
the arena upon which great ideas had 
displayed their impelling force, and that 



SCHUYLERVILLE 



73 



while many of the contestants had 
' Builded better than they knew,' they 
must still have been inspired with some 
dim vision of the future." 

Colonel Shelby: "You convince me, 
Miss Van Eyck, that tlie pleasure or 
profit we may find in any object is with- 
in ourselves. How many persons would 
witness the scenes you have looked on 
to-day and feel no responsive emotion, 
have no new thoughts awakened. I envy 
the person whom you will permit at any 



time to be the companion of your 
thoughts and sentiments. Will you al- 
low me to hope that I may occasionally 
have such a happiness? You must be 
convinced by this time that such occa- 
sions cannot be too often repeated to 
please me. Will you allow me to go 
with you to-morrow on the proposed ex- 
pedition to Prospect Hill?" 

Miss Van Eyck: " I will tell you in 
the morning, Colonel, what arrangements 
we have made." 



SCHUYLERVILLE 



This village, the Saratoga of the past, 
which forms so important and interest- 
ing a feature in the Burgoyne Campaign, 
is beautifully situated on the right bank 
of the Hudson river, about thirty-five 
miles above Albany, and twelve miles 
east of Saratoga Springs. The drive 
from the latter place is over a regular 
stage road, that is kept in good condi- 
tion; a start is made through one of the 
most delightful streets. Lake Avenue, 
and when about a mile out, a beautiful 
view of the village of Saratoga Springs 
may be seen; after a stretch of plain 
and hill, as the approach is made to- 
wards the river in the last half of the 
ride, fine views are obtained, and a pic- 
turesque farming country is traversed. 
Schuylerville lies on the lower slope of 
the historic heights of Old Saratoga, and 
every foot of ground as one enters the 
village limits is rich in interest, is throng- 
ing with memories of the past. 

Old Saratoga! the great Indian hunt- 
ing ground of the seventeenth century, 
the great Indian patent of the eighteenth 



century; the home of the Christian Iro- 
quois, the outpost of white civilization, 
the place of forts, the scene of massa- 
cres, the birthplace of heroism, the hills 
of triumph! Who could fail to feel a 
thrill of pride and joy, yet tremulous 
with rising tears, as he stood on the 
Heights of Old Saratoga; old, indeed, 
since it has nearly reached the second 
century of its existence, for "on the sec- 
ond day of August, 1690, Saratoga took 
its place among the long list of our coun- 
try's geographical names." From that 
time it constantly appears in the ac- 
counts of the wars, or the progressive set- 
tlement of the country. It is, however, 
pre-eminently important as the place of 
Burgoyne's surrender, the last spot to 
which his harrassed, yet sternly disci- 
plined army was driven; the ground upon 
which his ambitious spirit succumbed to 
the inevitable fortune of war, when he 
reluctantly called his officers together, 
and gave his vote with theirs for capitu- 
lation; and where on a terrace-like bluff, 
before the assembled thousands, friends 



74 



SCHUYLERVILLE 



and foes, he yielded his sword to Gen- 
eral Gates. 

Here is also the plain, now partly filled 
by canal and basin, and marked by the 
Elm tree of traditional renown, where 
the British stacked their arms. Here 
also is the site of the Schuyler mansion, 
which was burned by Burgoyne's order, 
and where the officers representing the 
commanders of the respective armies 
first met for the consideration of terms 
of surrender, and near it is the first place 
of meeting between Burgoyne and Gates, 
for an interchange of the courtesies of 
military life before the final surrender. 
The Schuyler mansion, as rebuilt and oc- 
cupied for many years by the General, is 
still standing. 

On a pine-crested hill, south of the 
Fish Creek, which overlooks the ceme- 
tery on the north side, are the remains 
of earthworks. On this hill Major Ste- 
vens probably placed the artillery from 
which were thrown the very balls that 
tradition says interrupted so rudely the 
dinner of the British Generals. 

This cemetery hill, stretching towards 
Victory, was evidently that strongly forti- 
fied part of the camp indicated on the 
old military maps as the position of Fra- 
zer's light rangers, and those now living 
assisted in the destruction of the earth- 
works, as declared in the affidavits be- 
low. A drive from the cemetery along 
the heights takes one quite through the 
site of the British camp, and is appro- 
priately terminated at the Riedesel house, 
now owned by Mr. Marshall, and shown 
to visitors with great kindness, and intel- 
ligent interest. This house was visited 
by Mr. Lossing nearly thirty years ago, 
when he sketched the interior and exte- 



rior for his Field Book. Since then the 
house has been remodeled, but the main 
timbers, and, in fact, all the rooms re- 
main as they were in 1777. The rafter and 
base boards, through which the cannon 
balls passed, have been removed. They 
are carefully preserved, and upon inspec- 
tion, will be found to authenticate Mad- 
ame Riedesel's thrilling account of the 
days spent in this house; scenes that are 
vividly recalled as one stands upon the 
cellar floor, where her little children 
crouched in terror. 

From the piazza may be seen the hills 
on the east side of the river, where the 
American artillery was posted, from 
which were thrown the balls that tore 
through the house. The exact place 
where Burgoyne crossed the river is 
also in sight; and upon riding to that 
spot, the river bank will be found cut 
away on each side, to facilitate the pas- 
sage of the army. A little to the south 
are the hills on which the Americans, 
under Fellows, were posted. 

Many places of minor interest may be 
visited at Schuylerville, and the tourist of 
leisure would be well repaid for a week 
or more of rambling and driving about 
this lovely village, where every comfort- 
able accommodation can be found at the 
Goldsmith House, which has also the 
inducement of a good sulphur spring in 
its grounds. 

The village is quiet and quaint, and is 
remarkable for the large number of fam- 
ilies who have lived within its limits or 
neighborhood for several successive gen- 
erations. This fact gives an unusual 
interest and authentication to the tradi- 
tions of the place. The following affi- 
davits were made by two of the oldest 



SCHUYLERVILLE 



75 



inhabitants for the use of the Senate 
Committee having the Saratoga Monu- 
ment under consideration; they are now 
published for the first time:* 

State of New York, 1 
County of Saratoga. ) 

Albert Clements, being duly sworn, 
deposes and says: I reside in the town 
of Saratoga, in said county, in the vicin- 
ity of the village of Schuylerville, and 
have resided there since the year 1789 — 
am now ninety-five years of age. I came 
to this town from Dutchess county, 
Abraham Marshall was residing here then 
on the farm now occupied by his grand- 
son, William Marshall, I heard him 
(Abraham) say that he witnessed the sur- 
render of Burgoyne's army; that the 
British army marched down below the 
gravel hill located on the west side 
of the river road, south of Fish Creek, 
and Burgoyne there surrendered his 
sword. I have frequently heard soldiers 
who were in Gates' army tell the follow- 
ing incident: After the retreat of the 
British army from Stillwater towards 
Schuylerville, the American army pur- 
sued them as far as a hill on the south 
bank of Fish Creek, nearly opposite the 
village of Victory, and there erected a bat- 
tery, and fired their guns towards the 
point on the north side of the creek, 
where Burgoyne happened to be at the 
table eating, and a ball came on the table 
and knocked off a leg of mutton. 

I remember, when I was a boy, of see- 
ing breastworks extending as much as a 
quarter of a mile in length along the hill 
where Prospect Hill Cemetery now is lo- 
cated, in the direction of the road just 
west ot the cemetery. I assisted in tear- 



ing them down. They were made of 
pine logs and earth. I ploughed up a 
cartridge box containing about sixty 
musket balls. 

I remember the old Dutch Church, 
which stood on the south side of the road 
now running from the river road to Vic- 
tory; I frequently attended meeting 
there. It was a wooden structure, heavy 
timbers and clap-boarded. 

There were no other buildings on the 
south side of the creek except General 
Schuyler's mansion, and only two on the 
north side at that time. 

I visited General Schuyler's mansion 
when he was there; I saw him signing 
deeds or leases. Albert Clements. 

Sworn to before me April 13th, 1877. 
S. Wells, Notary Public. 



ss. 



State of New York, 
Saratoga County. 

William H. McCreedy, being duly 
sworn, deposes and says: I am eighty- 
six years of age; now reside in the vil- 
lage of Schuylerville, in said county, and 
have there resided for over sixty years 
past. I remember of hearing my father 
and grandfather, who were both in Gates* 
army, say: that they witnessed Burgoyne's 
surrender; that the terms of the surren- 
der were signed under the Elm tree now 
standing on the east side of Broad street, 
in Schuylerville, between the feed store 
of Simon Sheldon and the blacksmith's 
shop adjoining on the south; and that 
the British ai^iy marched down the River 
Road just below Gravel Hill, south of 
Fish Creek, and surrendered. 

I remember seeing breastworks, ex- 
tending north and south, on the river 
flats between the village and the river. 



76 



SCHUYLERVILLE 



I dug up five cannon balls there some 
fifty years ago. I visited old General 
Schuyler at his mansion several times. 
I dined there on one occasion; and after 
finishing my meal, the old General asked 
me if I had eaten enough. I answered 
that I had all that I wanted, and he re- 
plied: "If you have, knock out your 
teeth." 

My grandfather, Charles McCreedy, 
and father, James McCreedy, were both 
in the engagements fought at Bemis' 
Heights, September 19th and October 
7th, 1777. They told me that General 
Gates' headquarters were south of the 
old Dutch Church, and were present at 
the surrender; and that the old turnpike 
road was about where the canal now is. 
William H. McCreedy. 

Sworn before me, April 13th, 1877. 
S. Wells, Notary Public. 

* I have had the pleasure of conversing with 
these old men, and can bear witness to the clear- 
ness and readiness of their memory. 

Mr. Clements is exceedingly interesting, and a 



man of some attainments. He has been a civil 
engineer, and told me that he had surveyed the 
first lots that were laid out in Schuylerville, 
Philip Schuyler, grandson of the . General, and 
Mr. Beadle, who afterwards laid out the village 
of West Troy, carrying the chain. Mr. Clements 
also said he had made the survey that settled the 
disputed line between the towns of Northum- 
berland and Saratoga, and a curious incident en- 
abled him to verify his work. He found the 
old survey mark in a log of yellow pine (known 
to be very durable) under ground, and correspond- 
ing with his own Imes. 

Mr. McCreedy is one of four generations who 
have fought in the various wars of the country. 
His father and grandfather were in the battles of 
Saratoga; he fought in the battle of Plattsburgh 
in the war of 181 2, and his son took an active 
part in the late war. His wife, who is near his 
own age, and has lived with him sixty years, is a 
very bright old lady. She gives a vivid account 
of a fourth of July celebration that took place 
at Schuylerville fifty-five years ago, when the 
veterans of the revolution had a banquet spread 
for them on the plain before Fort Hardy, where 
the British stacked their arms. She says the old 
men were very spry on that day, and that there 
was then assembled the largest crowd of people 
ever gathered at Schuylerville. E. H. W. 



VISITORS' GUIDE 



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SARATOGA SPRINGS 



IN RELATION TO THE GREAT ROUTES OF TRAVEL 



The village of Saratoga Springs is 
located directly on the main northern 
railroad between New York city and 
Montreal. It is about five hours' ride 
from New York city, one hour from Troy 
and one hour and a quarter from Albany, 
Through trains, with drawing-room cars, 
arrive from New York and other points 
several times each day. The Hudson 
River day and night steamboat lines con- 
nect with the morning and evening 
trains. 

From the west, New York Central 
Railroad trains make immediate connec- 
tions with Saratoga trains at Schenecta- 
dy, which is one hour's ride from the 
Springs. From Boston and the east, 
many trains of the Boston and .Albany, 
and also the Hoosick Tunnel road con- 
nect with Saratoga trains without delay. 
The Adirondack Railroad has its south- 
ern terminus at Saratoga Springs. Pas- 
sengers on that road can go to North 
Creek, then by stage to Cedar River and 
to Blue Mountain Lake, the head-waters 
of the Raquette river. Excursions can 
be made to Lake George on the Dela- 
ware and Hudson Canal Co.'s railroad to 
Glens Falls, and thence by stage ten 
miles to the south end of the lake, or 
by railroad to the north end of the lake, 
which is traversed daily by a pleasant 
little steamboat. Thus it is seen that 
tourists passing over any of the great 
routes north, south, east or west, can 
reach Saratoga to refresh themselves with 



its health-giving waters, or visit its ob- 
jects of interest with little loss of time, 
while those who remain during the sea- 
son can make frequent excursions to de- 
lightful places of resort, or reach the 
cities for business purposes without ef- 
fort or serious waste of time. 

THE DEPOT 
The depot is on Division street, near 
Franklin Square, in the central part of 
the village, and one block from Broad- 
way, which is its principal street. Hotel 
omnibuses convey passengers to the ho- 
tels free of charge. The best class of 
livery carriages and horses are also in 
waiting for the use of travelers, aiatfi the 
agent of a reliable baggage express com- 
pany is in attendance on the cars and in 
the depot. It is but a short walk from 
the depot to most of the hotels, board- 
ing houses and springs. 

HOTELS 

The hotels of Saratoga are probably 
the largest in the world. These immense 
brick buildings are graceful and impos- 
ing in appearance. They are richly 
furnished with taste and elegance, and 
have all the modern accessories of com- 
fort and convenience. Elevators are con- 
stantly in operation; gas, bells and water 
pipes communicate with each set of 
apartments. Broad piazzas supplied 
with easy chairs face the gay panoramic 
view on Broadway, and also sweep around 
the inner courts with their beautiful 



8o 



VISITORS GUIDE 



lawns, cooling fountains and fine shade 
trees. A first-class band of music is 
employed by each hotel, not only to fur- 
nish dancintf music for the balls, hops, 
and morning " Germans," but to give 
each day a piazza or parlor concert of 
classical music. A programme of these 
concerts is published d lily in " The Sar- 
atogian,"and they form one of the most 
delightful features of Saratoga life. 

The United States Hotel con- 
tains I, ICO rooms, and capacity for 2,000 
guests. It offers an especial advantage 
to visitors in the large number of its 
cottages and full suites of rooms having 
a private entrance, numerous connect- 
ing rooms, large closets and bath-rooms 
appropriated to each. In these are com- 
bined the seclusion and repose of family 
life with the ease and luxury of hotel 
living. The cottage halls and parlor 
windows open upon large piazzas, which 
face the beautiful lawn ; the whole 
forming a magnificent interior view. 
The enormous halls, the reading-rooms, 
and smaller parlors of the house are but 
introductory to the recherche effect of 
the grand drawing-room. Far surpass- 
ing the parlor of the old United States 
Hotel as this room does, it but suggests 
to many old time frequenters of the 
former, the charming days when the elite 
of the whole country met tliere during 
each successive " season." They came 
together with the sure and pleasant ex- 
pectation each of finding the other in 
his accustomed place, except when death 
stepped in and left a theme of regretful 
sentiment to be dwelt upon by the sur- 
vivors. 

The traditional flavor of the old aris- 
tocratic element still lingers about the 



United States, and is constantly strength- 
ened by its present visitors; that more 
numerous throng of cultivated and high 
toned people who gladly leave their city 
homes to refresh themselves with coun- 
try pleasures and metropolitan comforts. 

The Grand Union Hotel has a 
frontage of 1,364 feet on Broadway, and 
its new central tower commands a mag- 
nificent view of the surrounding coun- 
try and distant mountains. The hotel 
will accommodate 1,800 guests, and is 
deservedly popular and delightful. 

Congress Hall can receive 1,200 
guests. It is a first-class hotel in all its 
appointments. Its picturesque bridge, 
thrown across Spring street, and connect- 
ing the hotel with the ball-room, when 
brilliantly lighted, is one of the most 
beautiful gaslight views of Saratoga. 

The Clarendon fronts Congress Park, 
and will accommodate 500 guests, and is 
a favorite summer home for many of the 
best families of New York City. 

The Adelphi Hotel. This new brick 
hotel adjoins the United States. It is a 
revival of one of the oldest and most 
popular houses of Saratoga, and the well 
established reputation of its proprietor 
as an obliging landlord ensures it a re-es- 
tablished popularity. It will be kept 
open all the year. 

Remedial Institute; Sylvester S. 
Strong, M. D. This is an unique 
institution, combining in a novel man- 
ner the pleasant features of the sani- 
tarium, the hotel and the private board- 
ing house. Here may be had the best 
medical attendance and advice. Hither 
are sent by physicians in the cities 
many obstinate cases of chronic dis- 
ease, that the patient may have the 



VISITORS GUIDE 



benefit of special appliances, which can 
only be obtained in a public institution. 
These appliances are of the most varied, 
the newest and the best kind. The 
Turkish and Russian baths are each a 
bijou. There are also electric baths, 
health lifts, vibrators, the Swedish move- 
ment cure, and many other systems of 
treatment, all of which can be used by 
persons who do not board in the house. 
This, however, will accommodate a large 
number of guests. There is little ap- 
pearance of invalidism about the estab- 
lishment, and it is a favorite rendezvous 
for clergymen and literary people; music, 
croquet, charades and literary entertain- 
ments enliven the pleasant summer days 
and evenings. 

The American, Waverley, Holden 
House, Windsor, Columbian, Everett, 
and Heustis House, are excellent hotels 
on Broadway. The Continental, Ver- 
mont and many others are pleasantly 
situated on other streets. 

BOARDING HOUSES 

The Broadway Hall and Washing- 
ton Hall, on Broadway, are houses long 
established and favorably known. There 
are many other good houses on Broad- 
way and other streets. Pitney's, on 
Congress street, is also a favorite resort. 

Dr. Hamilton's Medical Institute 
offers a pleasant and refined home, with 
many advantages to invalids; it is on 
Franklin street. MoREY'sis a large and 
comfortable house on the same street. 

Temple Grove Seminary for young 
ladies is an excellent institution of learn- 
ing, and during the season it is a delight- 
ful boarding house, with its ample 



grounds and pleasant rooms, to which 
guests are welcomed by its cultured pro- 
prietors. 

THE MINERAL SPRINGS 

In an irregular valley, several miles in 
length, lie the Mineral Springs of Sara- 
toga county. The most noted are within 
the limits that terminate at the Excelsior 
and Union Springs towards the north- 
east, and the Geyser, with other spouting 
springs, towards the south. The valley 
winds through the village of Saratoga 
Springs, between the two principal streets, 
Broadway and Circular, crossing the lat- 
ter near the Empire, and the former near 
the Congress Springs. 

This valley is at the base of the great 
chains of mountains towards the north- 
west. Beneath it is a ' fault ' or frac- 
ture in the earth's crust, which penetrates 
several geological strata. " The rocks 
on the west side of the " fault " are hun- 
dreds of feet above those on the east 
side." This displacement prevents the 
free flow of waters past the "fault," the 
Hudson river slates being here opposed 
to the Lower Silurian rocks, and thus 
are thrown towards the earth's surface, 
not only the mineral springs that surprise 
and delight us, but vast numbers of 
sparkling fresh water springs of unri- 
valled purity and power. 

The High Rock Spring is the historic 
spring of Saratoga. It was known to the 
Indians before a white man trod this con- 
tinent, and their sick were frequently 
brought to the " Medicine spring of the 
Great Spirit." The first white man who 
visited the spring was a sick French offi- 
cer, who was brought by the Indians from 
Fort Carillon. The very name of Sara- 



82 



VISITORS GUIDE 



toga is proof of the early discovery of this 
spring by the Indians. It signifies "the 
place of the miraculous waters in a rock." 
In 1767, Sir William Johnson was car- 
ried to the spring on a litter, the Indians 
having persuaded him that the waters 
would be a sure remedy for the serious 
illness he frequently suffered, in conse- 
quence of an old wound. In 1783, Gen- 
eral Philip Schuyler opened a road from 
the Fish Kill, through the forest, to the 
spring, near which he raised a tent, and 
lived in it during the summer. The 
next season he put up the first frame 
house that was built at the Springs. 

Considered medicinally, the waters of 
this spring are among the very best of 
the mineral fountains of Saratoga, and 
many old residents prefer them to any 
others. The especial feature of this 
spring, however, is its wonderful geolog- 
ical formation; "it is one of the greatest 
natural curiosities in the world — perhaps 
the most remarkable specimen of its 
kind upon the whole face of the earth." 
It can be reached by descending into the 
valley from Rock street down a long, 
but easy flight of steps, or by walking a 
few rods around the hill by the Empire 
Spring. The Rock is nearly four feet in 
height above the surface of the ground, 
and over twenty-four feet in circum- 
ference at the base. The spring bub- 
bles up through an aperture in the centre 
of the rock, remaining ten inches below 
the top, where the opening is one foot in 
diameter. The walls of the rock are of 
nearly uniform thickness. The spring 
formerly overflowed this rock, which has 
been formed from the mineral deposits 
of the water. " The mineral substances 
held in solution in the springs with the 



carbonic acid gas are magnesia, lime and 
iron; these substances, together with oth- 
ers furnished from materials about the 
spring, such as leaves, twigs, nuts and 
shells of snails, compose the High Rock. 
The phenomenon is not an isolated in- 
stance of this kind of formation at the 
springs of Saratoga. A large amount of 
this deposit was thrown down at the Flat 
Rock Spring, and at the mouth of the 
Empire there was a deposit of tufa, about 
the size of a two quart bowl, with an 
aperture of two inches." These deposits 
are always going on, but they seldom re- 
pose long enough to accumulate and be 
cemented together. The position of the 
Congress Spring in the side of a rock, 
from which it made a rapid descent into 
the creek just below, prevented any such 
accumulation. 

The water of the High Rock Spring 
is of uniform quality, and an excellent 
tonic; it is also bottled on an extensive 
scale. 

Congress Spring and Park, corner 
of Broadway and Congress streets. 
Let us revert for a moment to Saratoga 
Springs in the past. It is August 1792. 
Near the High Rock Spring stand two 
rude log houses, to which rough addi- 
tions have been made which convert 
them into taverns for the accommoda- 
tion of visitors to the one spring then 
known in this locality ; in the rear of 
these houses is a quaint blacksmith's 
shop, built of heavy stones. Not far 
distant, embowered by the primitive for- 
est, is the simple summer house of Gen- 
eral Philip Schuyler, consisting of two 
rooms, with a large stone fireplace and 
chimney between them. A mile to the 
west is the " clearing" of Gideon Put- 



VISITORS GUIDE 



83 



nam. A few visitors are gathered at the 
little taverns. They come to use the 
waters of the '' great medicine spring " 
of traditional renown, the High Rock; 
some of the gentlemen being attracted 
simply by the fine hunting and fishing to 
be enjoyed in the vicinity. The dense 
forest, the abundance and variety of 
game, and the repose of the wilderness 
appealed more strongly to the men of 
that day than to those of the present 
time. We can easily imagine the sense 
of freedom and invigorated life with 
which the statesman and merchant of 
'92, already familiar from boyhood with 
the use of gun, boat and horse, would 
hasten to the forest " Spring " for a few 
weeks of rest and refreshment. Among 
such visitors was Governor John Tay- 
lor Oilman, of New Hampshire, who had 
been a delegate to the Continental Con- 
gress. " On a sunny afternoon he took 
his gun and wandered from the High 
Rock up the creek into the deep woods 
in search of game. Coming to a little 
waterfall he found at the foot of it a small 
jet of sparkling water, issuing from the 
rocky bank of the stream ; stooping down 
to drink he found this little sparkling jet, 
no bigger than a pipe stem, to be miner- 
al water. He hastened back to his 
boarding place and made known his 
discovery. Every person in the settle- 
ment was soon at the foot of that cas- 
cade in the deep, wild woods, wondering 
at the curious spectacle. You could al- 
most count them all on your fingers. 
There was Risley, proprietor of one of 
the log houses, and his family, and Bry- 
ant, the patriot scout of the revoLution, 
who owned the other one. There were 
also Oeneral Schuyler, Dr. Blakesley, 



Oideon Putnam, a brother of Governor 
Oilman, with a few more guests of the 
log taverns. There, too, was Indian 
Joe, from his " clearing*' on the hill, 
where the Clarendon now stands, and 
some of his swarthy brethren from their 
huts near the High Rock, wondering at 
the strange commotion among the pale 
faces at the little waterfall in the brook. 

They all, gathering around it, each in 
turn tasted the water of the newly found 
fountain. They pronounced it of su- 
perior quality, and they named it then 
and there the Congress Spring, to com- 
pliment its distinguished discoverer, and 
in honor of the old Continental Congress, 
of which he had been a member." 

Such was the beginning of the reputa- 
tion of the great spring, which has been 
and must continue to be a living foun- 
tain of joy to Saratoga — her treasure 
and her pride — her Kohinoor ! How 
pure, how concentrated and how firmly 
fixed must the elements be that compose 
this generous fountain of health, nestling 
as it does in the very midst of a bed of 
fresh, pure waters. The ampitheatre- 
like knolls around it are bursting forth 
and brimming over, by nature, at every 
crevice with great jets of fresh water. 
Before improvements were begun these 
waters permeated the marshy basin be- 
neath, which, though dense with vege- 
tation, still held them caressingly, and 
only reluctlantly allowed them to flow off 
in a little stream through the valley. 

In 1804 the Spring was found insuffi- 
cient for the demands made upon it. 
Gideon Putnam, who then owned it, 
thought he saw indications of gas in the 
creek some distance from the spring, 
which he deemed might indicate its 



84 



VISITORS GUIDE 



original source. He turned the bed of 
the creek and found his supposition cor- 
rect; a large stream flowed from this 
place. He immediately sunk a strong 
wooden tube, which secured it for forty 
years, and it has seldom needed repair- 
ing. A similar tube now holds the spring, 
and has been undisturbed since 1865; 
but what marvelous changes have taken 
place around it! Yet with all die digging 
and filling up, the draining, the garden- 
ing, and the building that has been in 
progress about it, the spring has remain- 
ed unmolested, performing its wonted 
functions steadily and uninterruptedly. 
Like a pure and beautiful woman of 
some untutored race, this lovely spring is 
a perfect work of nature, and as protect- 
ing drapery and artistic adornments en- 
hance the charms of a sylvan beauty, so 
do the luxurious comforts and ornametal 
accompaniments that have recently 
been so lavishly supplied to this gem of 
nature, increase its attractiveness. 

While we sit under the spreading trees 
or graceful colonnade of the Park, our 
eyes are rested by its velvety turf, 
and our thoughts are made active by 
suggestions of the virgin wilderness, 
which are aroused by two lofty, pictur- 
esque pines, which seem to long to tell 
us stories of the past, as they sway 
threateningly over the very towers and 
steeples of the modern village. The 
memory- haunted deer in their quaint 
enclosure bound hopefully, now and 
then, towards the old trees, but repulsed, 
turn gently back to their small limits, 
like ambitious souls, checked by the 
rounds of daily duty. Our emotions are 
stirred by the strains of classic music, or 
rendered joyous by lightly tripping meas- 



ures that incite the crowds of happj^ 
children to still greater glee, or please 
the world-worn old gentlemen, whose 
tastes are best gratified by old-fashioned 
melodies. And while we sit here idly, it 
is not amiss to recall the outlay of taste, 
skill and money that has been required 
to give such comfort and pleasure to the 
thousands who frequent this delightful 
spot. 

The latest improvements have de- 
manded an outlay of over one hundred 
thousand dollars. The beautiful build- 
ings, the lake, the walks, the elegant^ 
Delmonico-like service at the Spring are 
palpable facts, that "he who [drinks] 
may read; " but how few think of the 
invisible network of pipes, 5,581 feet in 
extent, that drain this natural basin, with 
their many hidden wells for constant in- 
spection; of the 20,000 loads of "filling 
in," and eight acres of sod that have 
lifted and formed the firm turf; or how 
few know, when they drink from the 
ornamental fountain of fresh water, that 
its source is in a natural spring a few feet 
from them, and that aiiother spring, 
which will throw a jet as large as a 
man's arm, produces the pleasant gurg- 
ling sound, that may be heard between 
the lake and the colonnade; or that many 
of these springs are skillfully utilized in 
the Park and the bottling house. 

The improved method of bottling the 
Congress water has greatly increased its 
value, as will be readily recognized by 
those familiar with it in the past, or by 
any one who will look through the bot- 
tles at the transparent, sparkling fluid. 
Although the best known processes were 
used for bottling, they all involved the 
loss of some of the gases by pump- 



VISITORS GUIDE 



85 



ing or otherwise disturbing the water. 
The botthng is now done several feet be- 
low the surface of the ground, where the 
water runs naturally from the spring. 

Strangers will find the bottling house 
an exceedingly interesting place to visit. 
It is on Congress street, opposite the 
spri»g. 

Columbian Spring. This is a tonic 
spring, and many patients, who are suffer- 
ing from general debility, are sent by their 
physicians to Saratoga to obtain the bene- 
fit of this water. The spring is located in 
Congress Spring Park, and is accessible 
from Broadway, through an ornamental 
gateway, that merely suggests privacy, 
Avithout restricting in any degree a free ac- 
cess to the spring. There is no charge for 
admission to this spring; neither is there 
to Congress Spring, as that water may 
be obtained from the open entrance on 
Congress street. The small fee required 
for admission to the Park secures to vis- 
itors the additional comfort, so long 
needed, of chairs about the spring and 
Park; many other luxuries have been 
added, which more than compensate for 
this slight fee. 

It was thought for many years that the 
water of the Columbian Spring was too 
strongly impregnated with iron to be bot- 
tled with advantage; but all difficulties 
have been overcome, and it is now bot- 
tled in large quantities. 

Excelsior Spring and P.a.rk. This 
spring, with its surrounding park, is 
about three-quarters of a mile north- 
east of the village. The park embraces 
that beautiful portion of Saratoga Springs 
which was known for many years as " The 
Valley of the Ten Springs," with the 
table land lying on either side of this 
valley. The high ground commands 



fine views of the mountains of Ver- 
mont and of those around Lake George. 
The fine, natural forest of the park 
affords the most delightful rambles, 
with some beautiful woodland views. 
This is pre-eminently " the walk" outside 
of the village, and can be made long or 
short according to the path chosen. To 
the residents of Saratoga Springs the 
very name " Excelsior Woods" suggests 
remembrances of a first release from the 
winter bondage of snow and ice, when 
they hasten out in search of early spring 
flowers, or of gorgeous October days, 
when they wander under the great trees 
to gather the ruddy-tinted leaves and 
delicate ferns that may bring a breath of 
the forest into the winter seclusion of 
home life. To how many are these ram- 
bles fraught with memories of tender 
words and unregretted sighs? their un- 
expected wildness and seeming remot- 
ness from the gay village near by, ren- 
dering them the very home of romance 
and of hope. The practical pedestrian will 
perhaps remember better the draught of 
delicious spring water at the terminus of 
the walk, the sites for summer villas 
laid out by the enterprising proprietor, 
or an inspection of the well-kept ma- 
chinery of the Holly System at the 
Water Works near at hand ; or a rest on 
the shaded lawn of the Mansion House, 
near the spring. 

The Excelsior Spring is remark- 
able for its crystaline purity, its min- 
eral substances being held in such per- 
fect solution that " seeing is [not] be- 
lieving," but one must taste the water to 
receive assurance that the long list of 
chemicals — sodium, lime, magnesia, iron, 
&c., are really within its transparency. 
This, the most important of the " Ten 



S6 



VISITORS GUIDE 



Springs," was retubed with great care in 
1859. The excavation was made to the 
" Trenton Hme rock, where the mineral 
water from five different points flowed 
into the well." 

The Excelsior only needs to be known 
to be appreciated. The water is spark- 
ling and delightful to the taste, its me- 
dicinal effects are active and its surround- 
ings charming. It is bottled without 
sediment, and any visitor who enjoys 
getting at the " bottom facts" of things, 
and all those who recognize scientific 
thoroughness and honorable earnestness,'' 
will do well to inspect the ways and 
means used in bottling at this spring by 
the Messrs. Lawrence, Brothers. These 
gentlemen were the first to devise and 
put into effect the new method of bot- 
tling — carrying this work below the 
surface of the ground, on a level with 
the spring, and thus leaving its gases 
undisturbed, instead of forcing the 
water of the spring up, for the conve- 
nience of the work. They have also 
invented a new process of supplying 
spring water on draught, by which it can 
be drawn from the fountain of the drug- 
gist, pure and unadulterated, as it came 
from the spring. Heretofore, even when 
the genuine water was supplied by such 
fountains, it was found necessary to 
charge it with artificial gases. To avoid 
this objectionable feature, has been an 
object of much thought and many ex- 
periments. Mr. Lawrence has succeeded 
in obviating this difficulty by means of 
block-tin-lined reservoirs, filled by hy- 
drostatic pressure, and perfectly gas- 
tight. These reservoirs or barrels are 
made on the premises at the Excelsior, 
and are shipped to druggists, under spe- 



cial contract that no artificial gas or 
other substance shall be mixed with the 
water. A simple mechanism enables the 
druggist to attach the reservoir to the 
fountain; and when the water is ex- 
hausted, the reservoir is returned to the 
spring, to be refilled. This is an im- 
provement in the use of mineral Meters 
that will be highly esteemed by the pub- 
lic as soon as it is generally under- 
stood. 

Empire Spring. This is one of the 
noted springs of the place, and is in the 
northern part of the village, just in the 
depth of the valley; behind it is a bold 
face of limestone formation. The water of 
this valuable mineral spring had been 
noted long before any attempt was made 
to utilize it. About thirty years ago, 
however, it was provided with a tube, so 
that the waters that had been trickling 
away uselessly for ages might be secured 
Since then it has been used on the spot 
by thousands, and is bottled in large 
quantities. It vies with the Congress 
Spring in its qualities, which it resembles 
in some respects, but for other properties, 
its admirers claim a superiority. 

Washington Spring. The peculiar 
virtue of this spring is its tonic prop- 
erty. Its waters are largely impregnated 
with iron and with carbonic acid gas, that 
render it pleasantly exhilarating. This 
spring is situated on the west side of 
Broadway, opposite Congress Park. 

Red Spring. This spring is in close 
vicinity to the Empire Spring. It has 
acquired some reputation for beneficial 
results as an external wash. The water 
is seldom used as a beverage. Scientific 
men have not detected by analysis of the 
water the material agent that would ac- 



VISITORS GUIDE 



87 



count for the curative properties claimed 
for it. Still, either fact or fancy gives it 
a favor. 

Geyser Spouting Spring. On the 
way to Ballston, about a mile and a half 
from the village, one of the most remark- 
able mineral springs issuing from the lab- 
oratory of chemical compounds that 
makes Saratoga's celebrity, may be found. 
This is the Geyser Spring, which was 
discovered only at the beginning of the 
present decade. A shaft of 140 feet deep 
was sunk below the surface rock, and 
when the spring was reached, instantan- 
eously its waters spouted with unrestrain- 
ed force high up in the air. With una- 
bated vigor the fountain still plies its 
action. The water is thrown to the height 
of twenty-five feet. It has acquired 
great popularity, and may be found 
for sale extensively throughout the 
Union. 

Champion Spring. This is a beauti- 
ful spouting spring near the Geyser; it is 
uncovered, and may be easily seen from 
passing trains on the railroad, throwing 
its sparkling jets into the air during the 
summer, or stealing silently over its 
gorgeous surroundings of ice-bound spray 
during the winter; at this season it is a 
rare and beautiful sight, with its tent-like 
pyramid of frozen waters, colored a rich 
brown from the mineral deposit. 

Vichy Spring. This is also a spout- 
ing spring, near the shore of the Geyser 
Lake, of admirable mineral properties, 
and is rapidly gaining favor with the pub- 
lic. It is on draught by all best drug- 
gists in New York city, and in good de- 
mand; it is extensively bottled. 

Triton Spring. This is another of 



the spouting springs, and is situated on 
the opposite side of Geyser Lake from the 
Vichy; it also has good mineral proper- 
ties. 

Pavilion Spring and United States 
Spring. A stranger might inadvertantly 
pass by the place of these two springs, 
from the secluded locality in which they 
are hidden in a valley, a few feet from 
Broadway, off Spring Avenue, did not a 
guiding sign direct his steps to the Pavil- 
ion Spring and Park. Although dwell- 
ing under a common roof, these two 
springs give expression to their distinct 
origins, for they differ very much in their 
properties. A bottling establishment is 
connected with these springs. 

Hamilton Spring is on Spring street, 
at the corner of Putnam street, in the 
rear of Congress Hall. It has valuable 
properties common to others. It is cur- 
iously said that, " persons suffering from 
' a cold' should not drink this water." 
The visitor desirous of learning the fit- 
ness of things, may find entertaining oc- 
cupation in seeking a good reason for 
this caution. 

White Sulphur Spring. Following 
out Lake Avenue to about a mile east 
from Broadway, the tourist will discover 
the White Sulphur Spring. The clear, 
bright waters emitted from this spring 
lay claim to all the merits vaunted for 
sulphur springs anywhere in the land. 
Stages run hourly between the White 
Sulphur Spring and the village, furnish- 
ing comfortable conveyance to all who 
desire to experience the benefits of the 
sulphureted water, whether taken in- 
ternally as a beverage, or used as a bath; 
for the purposes of the latter a commodi- 



88 



Visitors guide 



ous bath house with all convenience of 
rooms for hot and cold sulphur baths is 
supplied. The Eureka Spring is near 
the White Sulphur. 

Hathorn Spring. This spring is 
situated on Spring street, a few steps 
from Broadway. It was discovered acci- 
dentally in 1869, and carefully tubed in 
1872. It has acquired a sudden popu- 
larity, and is bottled in large quantities. 
It is strongly cathartic, and is said to be 
used with good effect in cases of rheu- 
matism. It contains valuable properties, 
and its recent discovery is a proof of the 
unfailing source of Saratoga's treasure 
house of mineral waters. 

Star Spring. This spring has been 
wedded to the interests of different own- 
ers, who have manifested their favor for 
it with various names. Within the fifty 
years that its remedial virtues have been 
appropriated, it has been called the Pres- 
ident, the Iodine, and last, the Star Spring. 
It was tubed in 1835, and during the last 
ten or twelve years has risen in public esti- 
mation. 

Putnam Spring. This spring is near 
Henry street, and has a bathing establish- 
ment connected with it, for the external 
use of the waters. 

Seltzer Spring. This spring is near 
the High Rock Spring, and its proper- 
ties are similar to the famous German 
"Seltzer." 

Saratoga A. This spring is above 
the Empire on Spring street. It is a de- 
licious beverage, clear and cold, and a 
valuable mineral spring. 

Magnetic Spring. This is a newly 
discovered spring near the High Rock, 
and it has some peculiar properties. 



A FEW PLEASANT WALKS 
(See map of the village of Saratoga 
Springs.) 
L The length of Broadway north and 
south, as far as the shade trees extend, 
including a visit to Congress Park, or the 
Indian Camp, and Pleasure Grove, 
near South Broadway. 

II. Wood Lawn. From North Broad- 
way turn into Greenfield Avenue, oppo- 
site Rock street, and thence into Wood 
Lawn Avenue, which leads direct to the 
Wood Lawn estate. From the slope in 
front of the house there is a fine view of 
the surrounding mountains and the dis- 
tant i^eaks of the Catskills. The woods 
behind the house are full of chestnut 
trees, ferns and wild flowers. Return by 
the Bryan Boulevard, which sweeps past 
the front of Wood Lawn into upper 
Broadway. 

III. A stroll through Green Ridge 
Cemetery, along Circular street as far 
as the Empire Spring, and a short dis- 
tanceout Spring Avenueto the Red Spring. 

IV. Excelsior Woods. From Cir- 
cular street, where it begins to wind down 
the hill, to the Empire Spring, turn up 
York Avenue, which leads directly to the 
woods, through which a delightful, shady 
path winds down to the Excelsior, Union 
and Minnehaha Springs. 

Another way of reaching Excelsior 
Woods is to walk out Lake Avenue, and 
turn to the left at East Avenue. 

V. Each of the mineral springs in 
the village should be visited in turn, be- 
sides which there are many quiet, shady 
streets of residences both east and west 
of Broadway, which the pedestrian 
stranger will enjoy hunting up at leisure. 



-^w ^^se^\ \\^ 




VISITORS GUIDE 



89 



SHORT DRIVES FROM SARATO- 
SPRINGS. 

(See Map of Drives in the Vicinity of 
Saratoga Springs.) 

Omnibuses run from Broadway to Sar- 
atoga Lake, to the White Sulphur Spring 
at the south end of the lake, to Glen 
Mitchell, the Geyser and other spouting 
springs, Excelsior and Ten Springs, Eu- 
reka and White Sulphur Springs. Omni- 
buses may be chartered for pleasure par- 
ties from R. L. Skarrit. See cards at 
hotel offices. 

Light Vehicles, suitable for country 
excursions, and luxurious carriages are 
advantageously obtained at the United 
States Livery and at the Congress Hall 
Livery. 

To Saratoga Lake (four miles south- 
east). This is the fashionable drive from 
Saratoga Springs. The principal road is 
Union Avenue, which is an extension of 
Congress street. It is a broad boulevard 
with a double row of trees in the center, 
and is kept sprinkled along its entire ex- 
tent during the " season." It passes the 
race course, and leads directly to Moon's 
Lake House, and the Brigg's House, 
where the famous " Saratoga Lake po- 
tatoes " are ordered with ice cream and 
refreshing drinks. A pleasant feature 
of the drive is the contrast between the 
repose and beauty of the distant Green 
Mountains, and the excitement and in- 
terest of watching the quick succession 
of brilliant equipages that dash past. 
Lake avenue, another road to the lake, 
leaves Broadway at the Town Hall and 
forks off at the old Half Way House 
(now called Freeman's Hotel), the right 
hand road running into Union Avenue 
and thence to the Lake House. The 



drive back from the lake may be varied 
by continuing along the lake shore from 
Moon's through Frank Leslie's orna- 
mental grounds, and taking the south 
road to the village (the first turn to the 
right). This road winds past romantic 
little Lake Lonely and crosses its outlet 
at the Red Bridge. The village is reach- 
ed either by turning into Nelson street 
or South Broadway. 

To the Geyser and Spouting 
Springs. (One mile and a half south- 
west.) By continuing the last mention- 
ed drive about a mile further instead of 
turning into Broadway, Geyser Lake and 
the Spouting Springs are reached. But 
the most direct route there and back is 
by Ballston Avenue, which leaves Broad- 
way diagonally, one block south of the 
Clarendon Hotel. It passes near the 
glass works, which may be visited at the 
same time. From the Geyser a very 
pretty road through the woods leads to 
Fairview, Professor von Below's place, 
formerly the residence of Professor 
Youmans. 

Glen Mitchell Hotel and Race 
Course. (One mile and a half north.) 
North Broadway leads direct to Glen 
Mitchell. This is a beautiful as well as 
fashionable drive. Maple Avenue makes 
a charming return drive. The High Rock 
and Empire Springs may be visited before 
turning again into the great thorough- 
fares. 

Loughberry Lake Drive (three 
miles) and the Excelsior (one mile 
northeast). After driving to Glen Mit- 
chell those who would enjoy a quiet, pic- 
turesque drive of a few miles should turn 
to the right, pass Maple Avenue and drive 
on round the shore of Loughberry Lake, 



90 



VISITORS GUIDE 



turn into Spring Avenue, which passes 
the water works and gas works, or drive 
through Excelsior Park, the Ten Spring 
Valley — stop at the Excelsior for a cool, 
sparkling drink, and then back by Lake 
Avenue. 

To THE Poplar Tree on Prospect 
Ridge. (About five miles northwest.) 
If not the finest of all this is certainly 
one of the most beautiful drives within 
a convenient distance of the village, 
though it is not so well known as those 
hitherto described. The moment the 
open country is reached the scenery is 
charming. The Kayaderosseras range 
of mountains is seen to the west, while 
along the northern horizon runs an un- 
broken ridge of the Greenfield hills 
(designated on the map as Prospect 
Ridge), on the crest of which a solitary 
poplar tree stands out prominently 
against the sky. This tree is the object 
toward which the drive is directed. 
When the road begins to ascend the 
ridge, the views constantly increasing in 
scope and beauty, it is lost sight of and 
next appears when it is only a short dis- 
tance in front. The Poplar should be 
reached, if possible, just at sunset, when 
the whole scene is enchanting. But to 
return to more practical directions. 
From Broadway turn into Van Dam or 
Church streets, either of which leads 
into Waring Avenue, a broad, even road. 
At the first cross road after leaving the 
village (Granger's Four Corners) turn to 
the right. In a short distance the road 
divides, but follow the left hand road, 
and passing through Locust Grove Cor- 
ners, do not turn until the Adirondack 
Railroad is crossed. Here the road rises 
rapidly over several hills near Darrow's 



farm, from each of which the view is very 
fine. Saratoga Lake and Snake Hill are 
plainly discernable. When visitors ask 
to go to Prospect Hill they are frequent- 
ly brought here. (The real • Prospect 
Hill is designated on the map of Drives 
as Haggerty Hill, which is its local 
name.) The entire drive to the Poplar, 
as here given, is over a good, smooth 
road. After leaving Darrow's take the 
first turn to the right, and the solitary 
poplar will soon appear. The view from 
the carriage is good, but a walk across 
the field to the tree will give abetter one, 
A few rods east of the Poplar a road 
turns to the right, passes near Granite 
Lake, and leads into the road to Glen 
Mitchell. It is a little rougher than the 
other, but makes a beautiful and shorter 
return drive. Instead of going on to 
Glen Mitchell, a diagonal turn to the 
right near Denton's brings one into 
Greenfield Avenue. 



LONG DRIVES 
(On these expeditions it would be well 
to take the MajD of Drives, and by no- 
ticing the cross roads and the forks .the 
roads are easily found. To prevent con- 
fusion, on so small a map only the most 
important or direct roads are given, the 
others being indicated merely as branch- 
ing off from them. Care has been taken 
to give the local names of places ; most 
of the hills being named after the farm- 
ers who lived upon them, so that if neces- 
sary directions can be asked at farm 
houses along the road. A field glass 
should be taken on drives or expeditions 
to hills from which there are distant 
views.) 



VISITORS GUIDE 



91 



Mount McGregor. (Eight miles 
north.) Drive out to Glen Mitchell, 
turn to the right, then take the first road 
to the left (opposite Maple avenue). 
From here the road follows the eastern 
base of the Palmertovvn Range, to which 
Mount McGregor belongs, and which 
extends from Glen Mitchell to Lake 
George ; at the first fork in the road 
keep to the left, at the second to the 
right, and drive on to Doe's Corners. 
Here a winding, well-graded road leads 
up the Mount to McGregor's Hotel, 
where a lunch or dinner can be obtain- 
ed, and near which is the Look-Off. 
When it can be said that the view from 
this point, though on a smaller scale, is 
similar to the one from the Mountain 
House on the Catskills, no one will doubt 
that it is well worth seeing. Besides the 
ranges of mountains that skirt the hori- 
zon, which sweeps around in a vast semi- 
circle — Glens Falls, Fort Edward, Sandy 
Hill, Schuylerville, Saratoga village and 
lake, and Willard's Mountain, overlook- 
ing the Battle Ground, are plainly dis- 
cern able, while Bennington lies off 
among the hills on the east side of the 
Hudson. To one who has already vis- 
ited or intends to visit the historic spots 
in this region, there is an especial inter- 
est in thus seeing at a glance the great 
theatre of the many and brilliant mili- 
tary movements of Burgoyne's cam- 
paign — his marches, his defeats, his sur- 
render. 

The Greenfield Hills — Prospect 
Ridge. (Round trip about eighteen 
miles northwest. ) Drive out Waring 
avenue, pass Granger's Four Corners 
without turning either to the right or 
left, and then take the first road to the 



left, near a school house, to reach HiCK- 
ock's Hill. This road is steep, and 
winds over some slippery rocks, making 
it a dangerous place for horses. It would 
be well to ascend the hill on foot. The 
view is best seen from the front of New- 
ell's cottage. Widow Smith's Hill is 
reached either by continuing on past 
Hickock's house and taking the first road 
to the left, or by returning to the school 
house and driving through Spli<nterville, 
which is a very small ville indeed, and 
then turning to the left. From the 
Widow Smith's drive on to the first cross 
road and turn to the right to reach Hag- 
gerty or Prospect Hill, which is six 
miles from the village. Then drive on 
through Greenfield Centre, past the Pop- 
lar Tree and on to Eli Stiles', from 
whose place there is another fine view. 
Here there are four corners. Turn to 
the right and follow the road along by 
the Palmertown Hills to Glen Mitchell. 

Lake Desolation. (About twelve 
miles northwest.) Follow Greenfield or 
Waring avenue into the south Greenfield 
road, thence on past Widow Smith's 
house, near which there is a fine view, to 
Jamesville (or Middle Grove). From 
there drive north and west to Chatfield's 
Corners and turn sharply to the left. 
From here to the lake the road is rough 
and up hill, the scenery desolate as the 
name of the lake suggests, and the dis- 
tant views magnificent. Near the Seely 
place, on the way, there is a watering 
trough, supplied from a fresh water 
spring, remarkable both for its volume 
and its quality. 

White Sulphur Spring Park and 
Hotel. (Eight miles southwest.) Drive 
out to Saratoga Lake, down the hill be- 



92 



VISITORS GUIDE 



hind Moon's to Briggs' House, thence 
across the bridge and along the lake 
shore — a lovely drive — to the far side of 
Snake Hill, where the White Sulphur 
Spring, Hotel and Park are situated. 

Omnibuses run regularly back and 
forth between this place and Saratoga 
Springs. It may also be reached by driv- 
ing out Union avenue, and then travers- 
ing the lake in a little steamboat. 

From the White Sulplur Spring there is 
a road to Bemis' Heights (see Map of 
Drives), thence along the Hudson river 
to Stillwater, and on to Mechanicsville, 
through which the Rensalaer and Sara- 
toga Railroad passes. 

Ballston. (Seven miles southwest.) 
Round Lake. (Twelve miles south.) 
To Ballston Spa, which was the fashion- 
able watering place before Saratoga 
eclipsed her, is a pleasant drive of seven 
miles. Round Lake, the great camp 
meeting ground, can be reached by car- 
riage from the road between Ballston 
and the White Sulphur Spring by turn- 
ing south through Dunning's Corners 
and Malta. It is only a few minute's 
ride on the cars from Saratoga to either 
of these places. 

Chapman's Hill (five miles south- 
east), from which there is a fine view, is 
reached by turning sharply to the left at 
the first road which leaves the lake shore 
after crossing the bridge from the Briggs 
House, and keeping straight up the hill 
past the Chapman House. 

Wagman's Hill (seven miles south- 
east) is about three miles farther from the 
Lake shore road. After mounting Chap- 
man's Hill, turn to the left at two differ- 
ent cross roads, and keep right on till the 
hill beyond the school-house is mounted. 



The views are beautiful all the way from 
Chapman's Hill to Wagman's, and the 
road passes through an unusually fine 
farming region. From Wagman's Hill a 
road to the left leads to Stafford's Bridge, 
and thence to Saratoga Springs, either by 
Moon's Lake House or the Schuylerville 
road. Another road from the Hill leads 
direct to Schuylerville, 

Waring Hill (about fourteen miles 
and a half northwest). " The boldest 
and most imposing view, within a conve- 
nient drive from the Springs, is Waring 
Hill, on the road to Mount Pleasant, 
one of the highest points of land be- 
tween the valley of the Hudson and Lake 
Ontario. This view includes the villa- 
ges of Saratoga, Ballston Spa, Schenec- 
tady, Waterford, Mechanicsville, Schuy- 
lerville, Saratoga Lake, Fish Creek, Owl 
Pond, Ballston Lake, and Round Lake, 
together with the winding stream of Kay- 
aderosseras, from its source in the sides 
of the mountain to its entrance into Sar- 
atoga Lake, and the whole course of the 
Hudson, from its confluence with the 
Sacondaga until it is lost in the midst of 
the Catskill Mountains. This view is 
obtained by a drive up the Hadley Plank 
Road of about eight miles; thence along 
the Mount Pleasant Plank Road nearly 
up to the foot of Waring Hill, six miles; 
thence to the right by a mountain road 
for half a mile. At this point the car- 
riages are to be left, and Waring Hill, of 
three hundred feet, is to be ascended on 
foot. The excursion may be made be- 
tween the breakfast and dinner hours 
with great ease. A good glass is im- 
portant, for many of the villages are not 
to be seen distinctly by the naked eye."* 
Corinth Falls (fifteen miles north). 



visitors' guide 



93 



''Another drive is Coiinth Falls in the 
Hudson River, about one mile from Jes- 
sup's Landing. In order to view the 
falls from the Luzerne side, it is neces- 
sary to cross the river at the landing, and 
drive to the top of the bluff, which rises 
one hundred feet above the falls, or to 
the bank of the river below them." * 

Luzerne (twenty-two miles north). 

Glens Falls (nineteen miles north- 
east). 



Lake George (about thirty miles 
north). Those who have private carri- 
ages, or who prefer driving to the regular 
railroad routes, can make a pleasant trip 
to Luzerne and the Falls of the Hudson 
by the old stage road. There are several 
roads to Glens Falls and Fort Edward. 
Li the autumn, when the woods are aglow 
with color, a delightful trip can be made 
to Glens Falls by carriage, and thence to 
the foot of Lake George. 

* Dr. Allen's Hand-Book of Saratoga. 



GUIDE 
THE BATTLE GROUND AND SCHUYLERVILLE 



GUIDE TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



(Nine miles soullieast). See Map of the 

Third Period of Burgoyne's Cami)aign; 

also Map of Drives.) 

The Battle Ground proper is about 
nine miles from Saratoga Springs; but 
to drive there, around and through all 
the interesting spots and back again, 
makes a drive of about twenty - four 
miles. Taken leisurely, it is a delightful 
day's expedition. Having ordered a 
carriage, or, for a large party, chartered 
an omnibus, and prepared a lunch to be 
eaten at some historic spot — either in the 
British Camp near Freeman's Farm, at 
Gates' Headquarters near the Neilson 
House, or at Wilbur's Basin down by the 
river — leave the village at eight or nine 
o'clock in the morning, expecting to re- 
turn at five or six o'clock in the after- 
noon. 

Drive out Union Avenue to the Lake, 
down the hill behind Moon's to the 
Brigg's House, cross the bridge, and fol- 
low the road along the Lake shore, about 
a mile and a half, to Myer's Cedar Bluff 
Hotel. Here take the first left hand 
road, and drive up Caldwell's Hill, from 
which there is a view similar to that from 
Chapman's Hill. Take the second left 
hand road, which turns off between an 
orchard and a little cemetery, and enters 
a pleasant wood. Keep first to the right 
and then to the left. On emerging from 
the woods, drive straight on past a small 
red school-house, and up Summit Hill, 
the highest point on the drive, from which 
there is a splendid view in every direc- 
tion. Standing out prominently on the 



eastern bank of the Hudson, Willard's 
Mountain, from which the Americans 
looked into the British camp at Sword's 
House, is seen, and remains in sight dur- 
ing the drive over the Battle Ground. 
From here a cross-road is i)assed, and 
the road skirts a rounded, pine-crowned 
hill, at the foot of which it turns sharply 
to the right, and reaches the highway to 
Quaker Springs. Here turn to the right 
again near the Quaker Meeting House, 
and keep to the left where the road forks. 
From the moment the Quaker Meet- 
ing House is reached, one is on historic 
ground. Frazer's march through the 
woods to the first fight was about where 
the road now is. At a short distance 
Burgoyne's Hill (the Hessian Camj), 
where Breyman was killed and Arnold 
wounded), a rounded eminence, covered 
with small trees, is seen to the left. At 
the first cross-road turn to the left, and 
the first farm house on the right, which 
is now occupied by Mr. Brightman, 
stands on the old revolutionary clearing 
of "Freeman's Farm," around which 
raged the fury of both battles. Some 
interesting relics, dug up in the neigh- 
borhood, are shown here, and the old 
well is pointed out, for the possession of 
which the British and American soldiers 
fought fiercely on the 19th of September. 
In the woods just across the road from 
" Freeman's Farm " is an old graded 
road, made by Burgoyne to bring his 
cannon across the ravine. Lately the 
bridge has been rebuilt, and now farm 
wagons travel in the ruts of the old can- 



98 



GUIDE TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



non wheels. From Burgoyne's Hill, which 
still retains faint traces of entrenchments 
and an old road, and which may be reach- 
ed by a walk over the fields, one can get a 
good view of the ravines in the rear of 
the British Camp, and the battle field of 
October 7th, stretching off to the south 
and west. On Bemis' Heights, about 
two miles south, is seen the Neilson 
House, near a poplar tree. This stood 
in the American Camp. 

From " Freeman's Farm," drive on to 
Wilbur's Basin down by the river. This 
road goes through the midst of what was 
the British Camp (see modern road on the 
Map of the Third Period of Burgoyne's 
Campaign), and gives one an idea of its 
natural defenses. Turn to the left along 
the river road, and drive a few rods in 
front of a succession of high mounds. 
It was here that the British were crowded 
together just before they began their re- 
treat up the river. On the second mound 
north of Wilbur's Basin stood the great 
redoubt in which Frazer was buried. 
At the base of the fourth mound is the 
site of the house in which he died, occu- 
pied at the time by Madam Riedesel, 
and from which she witnessed his funeral. 
Nothing remains of it. Sword's House, 
where Burgoyne encamped before the 
first battle, was two miles farther up the 
river. 

From Wilbur's Basin drive two miles 
south, along the river road, to where the 
old Bemis tavern stood, which is also 
demolished. Notice on the way where 
the Middle Ravine, or Mill Creek, so fre- 
quently referred to, comes in, and also 
the ravine which skirted the front of 
American Camp. 

At Bemis' Heights turn up the hill to 



the right. This drive gives one an idea 
of the strong position chosen by Kos- 
ciusko for the Americans. Nearly all 
the breastworks have been ploughed 
down. In a field to the left, opposite the 
road which turns up to the Neilson farm, 
stands a single spreading tree, under 
which is an old well that supplied the 
house used by Gates as headquarters. A 
faint, square depression in the ground 
near it is the only indication of the 
house. 

The Neilson house stands on the high- 
est point of the Heights, and traces of 
entrenchments are visible near it, extend- 
ing under the barn that stands on the 
same place as the old fortified log barn 
of 1777. The back part of the Neilson 
house is just as it was then. In it Gen- 
eral Poor and Coloned Morgan had their 
quarters, and Lady Ackland visited her 
wounded husband. 

In driving back toward Burgoyne's 
Hill, the country is traversed over which 
the American troops rushed forth from 
their camp to the battle of October 7th; 
and near the roadside, not far from 
Walker's house the spot is pointed out 
where General Frazer was wounded. 
This is the road which passes the Quaker 
Meeting House, and the visitor can eas- 
ily find his way back to Saratoga Springs 
by the same landmarks which guided 
him thence. 

The Round Trip to Bemis' Heights 
AND SCHUYLERViLLE. After driving out 
to the Battle Ground and visiting the 
various spots mentioned above, instead 
of returning to Saratoga Springs, drive 
up the river road to Schuylerville. Along 
this road the British army marched to 
the Battle Ground and retreated to the 



GUIDE TO THE BATTLE GROUND 



99 



Place of Surrender, halting each time at 
Dovegat or Coveville. Spend the night 
at the Goldsmith House inSchuylerville, 
and return to Saratoga Springs the next 
day, visiting in the meantime all the his- 
toric spots at Old Saratoga. Omnibuses 
may be chartered for this trip. 

Guide to Schuylerville. (Twelve 
miles east.) The regular stage road to 
Schuylerville leaves Broadway, Saratoga 
Springs, at Lake avenue, passes Free- 
man's Hotel without turning, and con- 
tinues along the north side of Fish 
Creek to Grangerville. Here it crosses 
a bridge and turns south, passes a cross 
road, turns to the left, crosses the creek 
again and then goes direct through Vic- 
tory to Schuylerville. Fish Creek may 
be crossed either at Stafford's or Bryan's 
Bridge, and the drive continued along 
the south side of the creek through a 
fine farming region to Schuylerville. 
(See Map of Drives.) The principal 
thoroughfare in this village is Broad 
street, running parallel with the river. 
An old Elm is shown, between which 
and Fort Hardy the British laid down 
their arms. The site of Fort Hardy is 
on the plain near the canal basin, reach- 
ed from Perry street. Drive out Broad 
street to the Fishkill. The old ford across 
the creek is said to have been at the first 
bend below the modern bridge. The 
Schuyler mansion, now Col. Stover's, is 
seen to the left after crossing the creek. 
A few rods beyond is the site of the old 
mansion burnt by Burgoyne. A gravel 
hill to the right is where Lovelace, the 
Tory, was executed. A little beyond 
this is the spot where Gates and Bur- 
goyne met for the first time. About 
where the road to Victory leaves the river 



road stood the old Dutch Church. A 
few rods further on is the bluff 
upon which it is probable that 
Gates' marquee stood, in front of 
which Burgoyne surrendered his sword. 
The house which was used as headc^uar- 
ters by Gates formerly stood some dis- 
tance south of this bluff. The house in 
which Madam Riedesel remained during 
the cannonade is a mile north of the 
village. After leaving this house, drive 
towards the village, and take the first 
road to the right, which passes the Welch 
place, upon which there were remains of 
old barracks a few years ago. To ob- 
tain a fine view of Burgoyne's position 
here, follow this road to the summit of 
the Heights, and then turn to the left, 
driving to Victory along the ridge of the 
Heights, upon which the British Camp 
was posted until the time of the sur- 
render. The Germans, under Riedesel 
and Hanau, were encamped to the north; 
the British regulars extended beyond the 
new cemetery to a strongly fortified hill 
just back of Victory, which formed the 
south-western part of the camp, and the 
Canadians were stationed at the western 
outposts; while Morgan's corps, under 
cover of the woods, hemmed them in to 
the north-west. (See Map of Third Pe- 
riod of Burgoyne's Campaign.) 

A monument, located on the summit 
of these Heights, would have an impos- 
ing appearance, and would be discern- 
ible at a great distance from many di- 
rections. 

Bennington. The Battle Ground of 
Bennington can be reached from Schuy- 
lerville by a drive of five miles through 
a beautiful region to Greenwich or Union 
Village, and thence by rail to Bennington. 



Lcf^ 



KEY TO THE MAP OF THE THIRD PERIOD OF BURGOYNE'S 

CAMPAIGN, 1777 



The March, The military move- 
ments may be easily followed on this 
map by starting with the line of march 
of Burgoyne's army where it crosses the 
Hudson river on the bridge of boats, 
above the Batten Kill; follow to the first 
encampment at Saratoga, the second at 
Coveville, the third at Swords House. 
From this place began the march to at- 
tack the American camp posted on 
Bemis' Heights, and which resulted in 
the battle of September 19th. The 
march is in three columns, indicated by 
three colored lines; follow two of these 
columns to Freeman's Farm. 

Battle OF September 19TH. Leave 
the large map and trace the battle in the 
smaller division marked Battle of Sep- 
tember 19th. In the first position it will 
be seen that Riedesel's corps (green) has 
not yet reached the field; the Canadians 
are in advance, pushed by the Ameri- 
cans (yellow); the British columns are 
breaking up to form in line of battle. 

In the second position Canadians 
are driven back, British regulars (red) 
are in action, the light artillery are on 
Burgoyne's hill (marked Breyman's 
cam J)). 

In the third position may be seen the 
onset of the Americans ; Riedesel 
comes into action; Briti.sh and Hessian 
grenadiers are drawing up in lines, Amer- 
icans are resisting this. 

In the fourth position the British lines 
are unbroken, the Americans are pushed 
towards their entrenchments. 



The Camps. Refer again to the large 
map and find the British camp estab- 
lished on the field of September 19th; 
Freeman's Farm and Burgoyne's Hill 
(marked Breyman's camp) being within 
the entrenchments, which extend to the 
river, where the hills are fortified with 
redoubts, and the hospital, artillery 
stores and batteaux are covered by a 
strong battery, near which is the bridge 
of boats. 

The defences of the American and 
British camps, which lay within two miles 
of each other from September 19th to 
October 7 th are readily traced by follow- 
ing the course of the streams in the 
front and rear of the camps; these in- 
dicate ravines that deepen toward the 
river. 

Battle of October 7TH. In trac- 
ing this action observe the British and 
Hessians drawn up in line of battle 
southwest of their camp, with Frazer's 
light infantry on the right, the Hessians 
in the centre and the British grenadiers 
on the left. The Americans are seen 
pouring from their camp in three main 
columns. Next observe Frazer's second 
position to cover the retreat into the en- 
trenchments; this position he never fully 
obtained, being wounded, and his troops 
thrown in confusion in the act of taking 
it. Balcarras' camp was next stormed; 
Williams' artillery having been captured, 
and the grenadiers being driven within 
the works, along which the battle raged, 
Breyman's camp, the final point of at- 



I02 



KEY TO THE MAP 



tack, was captured; this being, as is read- 
ily seen, the keystone of Burgoye's en- 
camped position. 

Position on the Morning of Oc- 
tober 8th. Refer to the small map 
marked " Position on the Morning of 
October 8th." The British will be found 
crowded down by the river near the hos- 
pital and batteaux, the Americans close 
upon them. While in this position the 
funeral of Frazer took place on the great 
redoubt. 

The Retreat. This will be traced 
along the river road to Coveville, where 
a halt was made; thence to Saratoga and 
across the Fish Kill. 

Camp on the Heights of Sarato- 
ga. It will be seen at this point that 



the British were strongly posted; the 
Americans will be found surrounding 
them on every side. 

The Surrender. The place where 
the British stacked their arms is indicat- 
ed on the plain near Fort Hardy ; the 
spot where Burgoyne surrendered his 
sword to Gates is a short distance below 
the church, which is south of the Fish 
Kill, on the river road. 

Opposite the Batten Kill two houses 
are indicated by dark spots on the map, 
on each side of the road to Fort Miller; 
the most northerly is the one in which 
the Baroness Reidesel took refuge. It 
was commanded by the guns seen on the 
hills north of the Batten Kill, from which 
shot was thrown into the houses. 












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rnar-k the relatiWpasiiion oftM-y ban7^ 
yrui-V r^^imx 7,.. .,een on f/u- prmrtpal map 




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ERSONS OF 



pleasantly, without 
ir effect is not weak- 
s the case with oidi- 
ne time they are not 
h some of our most 
it sufficiently so for 
Dt strong enough to 

■eps the blood in a 
indition, producing a 
They preserve the 
ire powerful prevent- 
jmplaints. 

JPEING WATER 

ged to be the best 
Where the blood 
.upplies it in the best 
le assimilation is per- 
i this water is, in the 
ysician, "'more potent 
Hted according to the 

cly natural, are high- 
frequently prescribed 
•ities, many of whom, 
leir condemnation in 
of artijicial mineral 

Congress Water has 
e glass. 

nl Hotels ttiroiH/lioHt 
ttvij. 

Id on Draught. 
eive prompt attention, 
allowed for at liberal 



:piee spring co., 

RINGS, N. Y. 

ecent analysis of Congress 
"As a Cathartic water, 
I iron should recommend it 
ch contain so much of this 
air their usefulness." 

called to the fact 
■s Street, JOHN 
and 1st Avenue, 
ers, in New York, 
tties, as we have 



CONGRESS £ EMPIRE SPRING CO, 



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MAP OK TIIK TliiKi) PICKK)]) 

or 
iiK-hidiiio 

TilJv TWO llATTLKS OF SAKATOC.V 

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TOBER 8i 
marked " 
October 8 
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THE 



CONGRESS ™EMPIRE 

SPRING WATERS OF SARATOGA 



^ 



ARE THE BEST OF ALL 





CONGRESS SPRING PAVILION. 

ERECTED, 1876. 



THE SARATOGA WATERS FOR THE USE OF PERSONS OF 
CONSTIPATED HABIT. 

They act promptly and pleasantly, without 
producing debility, and their effect is not weak- 
ened by continued use, as is the case with ordi- 
nary cathartics. At the same time they are not 
too cathartic— rt! fault with some of otir most 
drastic mineral -d'iiters—h\\\. sufficiently so for 
daily healthful use, and not strong enough to 
produce reaction. , 

Their continued use keeps the blood in a 
very pure and healthful condition, producing a 
clear florid complexion. They preserve the 
tone of the stomach, and are powerful prevent- 
ives of fever and bilious complaints. 

THE COLUMBIAN SPUING WATER 

Is universally acknowledged to be the best 
Chalvbeale Water known. Where the blood 
requires Iron, this water supplies it in the best 
possible form for use. The assimilation is per- 
fect. A strain of iron in this water is, in the 
opinion of a celebrated physician, ''more potent 
than txventy grains exhibited according to the 
Phnrmacopceia." 

These waters, htmgpurely natural, are high- 
ly recommended, and very frequently prescribed 
by the best medical authorities, many of whom, 
however, have expressed their condemnation in 
strong terms of the use of artificial mineral 
waters. 

Every genuine bottle of Congress Water has 
a large '*1[/" raised on the glass. 
/•>>»• SaJr hi/ Drnf/ffists and Hotels throtujhout 
till' (Jo II II tr If. 
None Genuine Sold on Draught. 
Orders by mail will receive prompt attention. 
Empties taken back and allowed for at liberal 
prices. Address, 

CONGRESS AND EMPIRE SPRINa CO., 

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N. Y. 

ir^^In connection with a recent analysis of Congress 
WaTer Prof. Chandler says : ''As A Cat/iartic water, 
its almost entire freedom from iron should reconimend it 
above all others, many of which contain so much of this 
ingredient as to seriously impair their usefulness. 



O^irNew York Depot havhtf, been dUeoniinned, attention is is called to the fact 
that Messrs. ACKEll, MEltMALL S tONJDlT, 132 Chambers Street, JOHN 
GELSTOK, 4 Broad Street, JOHN 3IATTHEWS, 20th Street and 1st Arenne, 
PARK c€ TILFOItn,21st Street and Broad ua,/. and other dealers, in New York, 
deliver our Waters in Netv York and Brooklt/n, and receive empties, as we have 



heretofore done, and at oar prices. 



CONGRESS cC EMPIRE SPRING CO. 



\jmBf> 







%^ ;So¥^if'' 



/x 




SARATOCiA^^P^INQSr N. Y. 



This Magnificent Hotel is Built of Brick and Stone. 



In addition to its numerous and commodious Sleeping Rooms, it contains a 
large number of 

SUITES OF PARLORS 

with communicating bed rooms, furnished with running water ; also bath rooms 
and all desirable appurtenances. There are two elevators. Besides its broad 
and spacious hall and extensive piazzas, there is a beautiful undulating lawn of 
four acres, enclosed b}^ the House, laid out tastefully, and rendered luxurious by 
the shade of numerous trees and the constant play of fountains. -s-k. 

T0MPKIIT3, PERRY, GAGE & JANVRItT, Proprietors. 




ADVERTISEMENTS 




I: 




(DAILY AND WEEKLY.) 

The only Regular and Permanent Daily Newspaper 
published in Saratoga Springs. 

Contains all the Social and General News, Full Reports of Arrivals, Sched- 
ules of the Arrival and Departure of Trains, with River and Lake Connections, 
Directory of the Place, Advertisements of the principal Mineral Springs, with 
descriptions, analysis^ etc.; also. Telegraphic Dispatches and Stock Reports. 

Published every morning. Orders received for Subscriptions and Adver- 
tising at the Saratogian Counting Room, in the Arcade, opposite the United 
States Hotel, Broadway. 

PAUL & RITCHIE, 

Publishers and Proprietors. 

CONKLING & McOMBER, 

Real Estate Agents, 

Nos. 7 and 8 Marvin House Block, 

(Directly opposite U. S. Hotel Office.) 

Particular Attention given to Renting and Leasing Cottages for the Season. 

■ J. H. FARRINaTON^ 

DEALER IN 

446 BROADWAY, 

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N. Y. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 




"EXCELSIOR" 

AND 

''UNION" SPRINGS 

are situated in a beautiful valley amid pic- 
turesque scenery about a mile East of the 
Town Hall and near the center of EXCEL- 
SIOR PARK, Saratoga Springs. 

Visitors are cordially invited to enter our 
Bottling-house and examine our peculiar 
method of Barreling, and the Apparatus by 
which these Waters are dispensed throughout 
the Union, fresh and sparkling, in the same 
condition in ivhicJi thev flowed from ilie 

Sf<ring, WITHOUT RECHARGIN& WITH 
GAS. 

A. R. LAWRENCE & CO., 

I'RIIl'RIETORS (IF 

" Excelsior " and " Union " Springs, 
Beautiful Villa Sites for Sale at Excelsior Park 



High Rock Spring. 




Great pains have been taken, and no expense spared in re-tubing and 
piitting in perfect working order this old and, for years, only known mineral 
spring at this place. 

The utmost care has been taken not only to keep out all impure and fresh 
waters, but also to preserve and retain the fixed carbonic acid gas, for which 
this Spring is so pre-eminently celebrated ; and the proprietors are now able to 
supply their customers with the best and purest Mineral Water in the country, 
and as such they confidently offer it to the public, relying solely upon its merits. 

The High Rock water is put up in Pint and Quart bottles, carefully packed 
for shipment to any part of the world. 

The water is sold by all the principal hotels, grocers and druggists 
throughout the United States and Canada. 



To prevent imposition, ALL CORKS 
will be branded thus, %^^' 
without which no water is genuine High 
Rock Spring Water. 



'^ 



^j^^OGAHlG^^^^ 



SPRING, 



C. & W. 



'0^ 



J. McB. DAVIDSON, Sec. & Treas. 



WM. G^FARGO, President. 
HENRY SMITH, Superintendent. 

Address all orders and communications to the Superintendent, at Saratoga Springs, N. Y. 



This wonderful mineral fountain is located on Spring Avenue, in the northern portion of the village. 

The High Rock is the oldest, in point of discovery, of the Saratoga Springs. As early as 1767 Sir William 
Johnson was brought to it on a litter by his Indian friends of the Mohawk tribe. It takes its name from the dome- 
shaped rock — a superb vase of nature's unassisted workmanship, which is justly considered the most remarkable 
curiosity in the vicinity. The mound of stone, three or four feet high, appears like a miniature volcano. 

The High Rock Spring, which may be looked upon as the father of all these healing waters, has stood the test 
of over a century. It is a superior tonic, and cathartic as well as alterative. It is^useful in Rheumatism, Scrofula, 
Dyspepsia, Constipation, and a wide range of diseases. 

The High Rock water is especially beneficial in its operation upon the Kidneys and Liver ; and indeed it purifies 
and renovates the whole system, clearing and beautifying the complexion and prolonging life. 

So congenial is this mineral water to the stomach, that it will tolerate much larger quantities of it than of any 
other fluid known, ^nd, when taken in suitable portions, it imparts a vigor to the stomach unknown to follow any 
other medicinal agent, while at the same time it corrects all acids. 



ADVERTISEMENTS 




GOLDSMITH HOUSE, 

SCHUYLERVILLE, 

Saratoga Co., N. Y. 
Twelve Miles from Saratoga. 



Adjacent to one of the best Mine- 
ral Springs on the Continent. 
Already noted for its r/reat 
Medicinal Tirtiies. 

RATES 

For Board and Furnished Rooms : 

Trom $9.00 to $14.00 per "Week; 

Or, $3.00 per Day. 

A Liberal Discount for Children. 



For further particulars, address the 
Proprietor, 

L. GOLDSMITH. 



^XAC^'JVA''.^ 



USE 



FISH'S SARATOGA APERIENT 



A Perfect Substitute, in Powdered Form, for the Natural 
Mineral Waters of Saratoga. 



COMPACT, PORTABLE AND ECONOMICAL. 



SOLD BY DRUGGISTS. 



AUG 15 1900 



ADVERTISEMENTS 



THE 



PARK HOTEL, 

WHITE SULPHUR SPRING, 



located at the south end of the Lake, is reached by a fine carriage 
road along the borders of the Lake, and by omnibus from Saratoga to 
the Lake, thence by steamer through the Lake. 

FAHE FHOM SARATOGA AND RETURN, $1.00. 

This Hotel can also be reached by the way of Ballston Spa. Par- 
ties calling at the American Hotel, near the Depot, will be forwarded 
in carriages through a delightful country, distance 6 miles. Connected 
with this Hotel is 

A PARK OF 160 ACRES, 

laid out in walks, &c. There are commodious bathing houses con- 
nected with the White Sulphur Spring, which has a long and Well 
established reputation; price of baths, 25 cents. There is no bar on 
the premises, but refreshments, wines and liquors will be served as 
heretofore on the piazzas and other appropriate places. The Law will 
be observed in regard to Sunday liquor selling. 

It is the intention of the Managers to keep the house more for the 
interests of boarders than as a road house. 

PRICE OF BOARD, FROM $10 TO $15, 

ACCOltDING TO JOOCATION OF MOOM. 

For further particulars, address 

JAMES R. MARVIN, 



